Energy supply Student Internship: Low Carbon Resources

Energy supply Student Internship: Low Carbon Resources

Charlotte, NC, Palo Alto, CA

EPRI was ranked the #4 internship program within the Energy & Renewables industry in 2025 according to Vault

EPRI's Generation Sector focuses on a wide spectrum of research and development (R&D) across all thermal and renewables sources of power generation. The research supports EPRI's mission of delivering independent, objective thought leadership and industry expertise to help the energy sector identify issues, technology gaps, and broader needs that can be addressed for the benefit of society. Research may include materials science, water technologies, digitalization, cyber security, turbomachinery, wind, solar, or hydro power (renewables), non-battery energy storage (chemical, mechanical, and thermal), carbon capture and sequestration, hydrogen economies and technologies at-scale, environmental sciences, etc.

Students working in the summer semester will typically work either at the EPRI Charlotte or Palo Alto locations, with some positions specific to a laboratory setting. Students will take part in EPRI's Energy Supply summer student internship program experience.

The summer internship experience provides a technical mentor, training, and social and professional networking opportunities in addition to guided project-focused research work. This unique setting will provide students with rare, but essential practical insight to industry problems and issues and improve links to academic coursework. Other development and social activities in prior years have included:

• Lunch and learns with past interns, current EPRI employees
• Team building activities, for example a trip to the National Whitewater Center
• Tours of local power generation facilities
• EPRI lab tours
• Final presentations by summer student internship employees to their peers, mentors and other EPRI technical staff

Students may be hired into one of many research programs in the Energy supply (Generation & Nuclear Sectors) to work over the timeframe of May to August. Students who demonstrate exemplary skillsets and learning over this ~12-week period may be asked to work part time after the summer period and/or be invited in subsequent years to extend their exposure to the Energy Sector.

The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) at EPRI is seeking interns for multiple positions. Descriptions of each opportunity are listed below:

• Clean Energy Workforce Analytics : This role supports EPRI's workforce development initiatives in the energy sector by analyzing skills and knowledge requirements across various energy job types to identify gaps and training opportunities. Key responsibilities include conducting literature reviews, stakeholder interviews, and comparative analyses of workforce skills in areas such as hydrogen and nuclear energy. The position also involves tracking education and training programs, designing content to promote energy careers, and enhancing stakeholder engagement. Candidates should have strong research and analytical skills, excellent communication abilities, and proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint, with data visualization experience being a plus. This opportunity aims to broaden the impact of workforce development across the energy industry.
• Power Plant Low Carbon Fuel Conversion Tool Support: This role will support the update of EPRI's Steam Plant Low Carbon Fuel Conversion Tool by reviewing the latest technical documentation and integrating recent findings into the existing framework. The work includes translating the current Excel-based tool and PDF interface into a streamlined, web-based interactive format. This effort will be performed collaboratively with the EPRI team, requiring coordination with subject matter experts to ensure technical accuracy and usability. The intern will help refine tool architecture, improve navigation logic, and ensure alignment with current fuel conversion technology considerations. This project offers practical experience in applying research to functional engineering decision tools used by utilities.
• Industrial Process Decarbonization : This role supports EPRI's efforts to advance industrial process decarbonization by evaluating the feasibility and readiness of low-carbon technologies for sectors such as steel, cement, chemicals, and refining. Key responsibilities include assessing adoption pathways, creating educational materials and infographics on solutions like hydrogen, carbon capture, and thermal energy storage, and synthesizing market intelligence on decarbonization projects and stakeholder plans. The position emphasizes both technical analysis and effective communication to promote understanding and adoption of decarbonization strategies.
• Solid Carbon Market Analyst : This role would support market analysis for solid carbon produced from methane pyrolysis technology. Including identifying the major industrial subsector, such as iron & steel, cement, and petrochemicals for solid carbon offtake. Support the development of the market analysis segment in the solid carbon webpage. Conduct literature reviews to support the impact of solid carbon markets on the hydrogen price. Develop interactive online visual aids to facilitate understanding of the market for industrial off-takers of solid carbon and hydrogen.
• Emerging Fuel Safety Analyst : This internship supports EPRI's research on low-carbon fuel safety, focusing on technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia, syn/bio-fuels, and carbon capture. The role involves technical writing, synthesizing complex research papers, and assisting with reports, white papers, and journal publications. Additional responsibilities include analyzing data from demonstration projects, developing knowledge-transfer materials like presentations, and contributing to new research planning and stakeholder engagement. Candidates should have strong research and writing skills, proficiency in Microsoft Office, and a proactive, detail-oriented approach; a background in hydrogen safety or related engineering/scientific fields is preferred. This hands-on position offers opportunities for involvement in interviews, presentations, and potential site visits.
• Emerging Fuel Based Resilience Analytics : This role supports research on technologies and solutions that enhance energy resilience and reliability across applications such as data centers, hospitals, and telecom and critical services. The role involves conducting modeling and analyses, performing utility surveys, and contributing to technical updates and white papers on topics like backup power technologies, microgrids, orchestration and system integration. Additional responsibilities may include creating technology readiness matrices, analyzing gaps in control systems, and compiling application-based technology requirements. Candidates should have strong analytical and research skills, proficiency in technical writing, coding and a background in energy science or related engineering fields. This position offers hands-on experience with emerging technologies, collaboration with experts, and opportunities to contribute to impactful industry deliverables.

Candidates:

EPRI is looking for exceptionally talented science and engineering students wishing to gain additional experience in the power industry. Typical majors could include, but are not limited to the following :

• Engineering / Science - Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace / Aeronautical, Materials, Welding, Chemical / Chemistry, Computer, Environmental, or similar fields
• Information Technology / Cyber Security
• Data Science: Experience with data analysis and visualization with python or R

Typical activities and responsibilities include the following:

• Conduct literature surveys and clear documentation of results in written and visual form.
• Review documentation and interview stakeholders involved in EPRI's relevant areas of research.
• Document insights and results in written form, interactive databases, and data visualization tools.
• Work with technical mentors to gain experience in addressing real-world challenges, drivers, and priorities that impact the energy workforce.
• Conduct research and assigned tasks independently, but still be willing to interface with other peers and a technical mentor on a regular basis.

An Ideal Candidate will typically have the following qualifications. Exceptions have been made for students with exemplary background and interviews:

• Be at least starting their junior year (3rd year) in Fall, while some projects will prefer M.S. or PhD graduate-level students graduating in next 1-2 years.
• Working knowledge of core degree areas.
• Willingness to take on new challenges.
• Worked on group projects as part of classes.
• Willingness to work and network with peer student interns at EPRI.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

The hourly rate range for Student positions are:

• Undergraduate: $16-29 per hour
• Masters: $25-31 per hour
• Ph.D: $27-34 per hour

These ranges are an estimate, and the actual hourly rate may vary based on various factors, including without limitation applicant's education, experience, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data. The hourly rate may also be adjusted based on applicant's geographic location.

As an EPRI Student, you will not participate in EPRI's Benefit Programs which includes health insurance, retirement benefits, vacation, sick leave (except as set required by law) and holiday pay. However, as a Student employee you are eligible for the benefits of Social Security, State Disability Insurance, and Workers' Compensation Insurance.

For Student positions which require one to relocate to an EPRI office. Relocation assistance is not provided and the student will be responsible for covering all relocation costs/expenses.

EPRI participates in E-Verify, an online system operated jointly by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration (SSA). EPRI uses the system to check the work status of new hires by comparing information from the employee's I-9 form against SSA and Department of Homeland Security databases.

EPRI is an equal opportunity employer. EEO/AA/M/F/VETS/Disabled

Together . . . Shaping the Future of Energy.