Organization: Sustainable Energy Advantage
Closing Date:
It’s time. Technology, economic, policy and climate drivers are converging to drive a rapidly expanding renewable energy landscape, and Sustainable Energy Advantage (SEA) is right in the middle of it. In our realm, new opportunities are popping up almost daily. Our widely respected and growing renewable energy consulting / advisory firm provides our exceptionally broad and varied client base with expertise, analysis, insights, and tools to succeed.
If you crave variety, possess a well-rounded skill set, analytical mind, and want to do something you can be passionate about, keep reading. Join a tight-knit and motivated team of about 20 professionals in a collegial environment that thrives on passion with a shared sense of purpose (and humor).
Be widely respected and never bored.
OPPORTUNITY: We are seeking an enthusiastic, dedicated, and organized Research Associate intern capable of contributing to a thriving consulting practice in supporting the needs of a diverse set of clients and tasks. In this position, you will perform research as well as quantitative market, financial, and economic analysis pertaining to the renewable energy industry. This position represents an opportunity to gain exposure to, and experience with, a wide range of topics and stakeholders active in the renewable energy industry.
As an SEA intern, you won’t be stuck with the same typical intern drudgery, day after day. You’ll participate in (or even host!) Brown Bag Breakfasts, our own version of Lunch & Learns; you’ll work on a wide variety of projects and tasks, together with Senior staff; and your work will get into the hands of our subscribers and clients. At SEA, we take time to make sure you are comfortable but also given space to breathe, understand, and adapt. You’ll have a Mentor and a Supervisor, Senior staff that is invested in you and your career - even if you’re only with us for a short while.
And you never know – you might just like us enough you’ll want to stay, something that one-third of our current staff have done!
COMPANY: Founded in 1998, Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC (www.seadvantage.com) (SEA) is a small, successful and growing renewable energy consulting and advisory firm recognized regionally and nationally as a leader in shaping and supporting the rapidly-expanding field of renewable energy. SEA specializes in objective interdisciplinary market, policy, financial and strategic analysis to help a diverse mix of clients develop thriving renewable energy businesses, new projects, effective policies, and critical market infrastructure. SEA focuses exclusively on developing opportunities for all forms of renewable energy in wholesale and retail electricity markets.
Sustainable Energy Advantage, LLC is an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer. SEA is committed to an inclusive work environment and supporting a talented workforce of diverse backgrounds and identities. All qualified applicants will be considered on merit, without regard to race, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, disability or medical condition (including pregnancy), veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by law.
LOCATION: Framingham, MA. Please note that public transportation is limited in this area. Our staff is currently working within a hybrid home/office environment, with three days-a-week in the office (Tuesday-Thursday). We believe our internships work best when done in-person but understand that this is not always plausible in the modern environment. We are willing to accommodate schedules and remote work around school schedules for the right candidates. This is subject to change in advance of the internship period, and proper notice will be provided in such a scenario.
AVAILABILITY: We are looking for our next great Research Associate Intern, whether that is in Spring (January – May, 20-40 hours), Summer (June – August, 40 hours) or Fall (September – December, 20-40 hours). We are hiring interns sometimes a year in advance, so it’s never too early to get your future sorted.
HOURS: Office hours are 9:00 – 6:00 (Varies depending on workflow; flexible within reason to meet intern needs)
RESPONSIBILITIES: Above all, the qualified candidate will be motivated and able to undertake a range of responsibilities that may include, but will not be limited to:
- Monitoring and summarizing current renewable energy regulatory, legislative and policy developments; and
- Performing detailed research and analysis (qualitative and quantitative) on various renewable energy-related policy and business activities, including supply and demand within New England’s REC markets at present and using future projections; and
- Supporting the development of new SEA products and services.
QUALIFICATIONS:
Required:
- Pursuing or recently completed a bachelor’s degree in a field related to energy, including (but not limited to) public policy, economics, environmental studies, finance, or other business- or energy-related studies.
- Demonstrated interest in, and commitment to, renewable energy and climate change related issues, and the ability to balance this passion for the subject matter with objective analysis.
- Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
- Comfort with performing analyses and discussing concepts related to policy as well as one or more of the following: economics, finance, accounting, engineering, and environmental sciences.
- Organized and attentive to detail, ability to handle and track multiple detailed projects at the same time and to complete tasks efficiently.
- A motivated and flexible self-starter and team player, able to productively work independently under intermittent supervision in a team environment.
- Demonstrated proficiency with MS Excel, MS Word, and MS PowerPoint.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Passionate about taking on new and potentially unfamiliar topics.
Preferred:
- Pursuing or recently completed a master’s degree in an energy-related field or 1-2 years’ work experience in the renewable energy industry.
- Experience tracking and analyzing legislation and public policy, and a strong understanding of the legislative process.
- Demonstrated familiarity with an understanding of electricity markets and renewable energy issues, including solar energy, renewable energy, and carbon markets policy.
- Strong MS Access or other database software skills and knowledge of database theory, design, management, and SQL.
- Demonstrated interest and experience in marketing, particularly within the renewable energy industry.
- PGIS software or Web site design and programming experience a plus.
Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) Internship Program:
SEA will give priority consideration to candidates who qualify for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Internship Program (click here for application and more information). When the opportunity is available, interested candidates will be asked to participate in the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center Internship Program by completing a MassCEC application, submitting a cover letter, resume and documentation verifying school enrollment.
COMPENSATION: This is a paid internship. Compensation commensurate with experience.
TO APPLY: Qualified applicants are encouraged to forward a cover letter, resume, and two references, via e-mail to great-jobs@seadvantage.com
Subject Line: SEA Research Associate Internship Application
A Week in the Life of a SEA Research Associate:
Do you dislike it when job descriptions are vague and don’t give you a sense of what you might actually do? Us too! We know that there are a lot of moving parts in the renewable energy industry and so aim to give experience across many different studies whenever we can. We do our best to match interns with projects that are rewarding for both the company and our personnel, and where our Research Associates can create a deliverable and learn as they work. Here are some examples of projects interns have worked on with us in the recent past:
- Writing weekly content for our Eyes & Ears newsletter summarizing and analyzing recent legislation, regulations, and studies. Help stay on top of the latest developments in the renewables field.
- Revising our Renewable Energy Market Outlook (REMO) proprietary Renewable Energy Credit (REC) pricing model, which could include:
- Writing a data-scraping script in Python
- Research on large individual project(s) to determine their expected size and commercial operation date(s)
- Estimating voluntary demand from, for example, community choice aggregation programs and inputting findings into the model.
- Qualitative market-entry research (essentially, what are the renewable energy programs in certain state(s), how would a stakeholder participate in those programs, and what are the incentive levels).
- Quantitative research on cost drivers for various technologies, such as electric vehicle components, green hydrogen, or energy storage.
- GIS analysis of the potential for siting renewable energy resources in a given area.
These are just some of the things that you might do. Our work is always changing and adapting to meet the changing landscape. Prior to every internship, we discuss what open projects we have against the skillsets of our incoming interns, always with the goal of making your SEA internship worthwhile to you.
Join us and find out what we get into next!