Graduate (3-6 Month) Intern – Production Cost Modeling and Reliability Analysis

Job Description

Graduate (3-6 Month) Intern – Production Cost Modeling and Reliability Analysis | National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR)

The Tone:
This is a 3-6 month full-time internship at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), located in Golden, CO. NLR is the nation’s primary laboratory for energy systems research, dedicated to accelerating energy innovation for an affordable, secure energy future. This role supports critical research to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions, strengthening U.S. industries and promoting national economic growth.

The TL;DR
• Role: Internship
• Type: Full-time
• Location: Golden, CO (In-person)
• Pay: $44500–$71200 yearly
• Team: Grid Planning and Analysis Center (GPAC) within the Strategic Energy Analysis and Decision Sciences (SEADS) directorate
• Mission: Support applied research in electric power systems planning, focusing on transmission planning and data center integration, to enable a reliable, affordable, and resilient grid of the future.
• Tech Stack: Python, Julia, Git/GitHub

What You’ll Actually Do
• Analyze: Run simulations and analyze data related to production cost and resource adequacy models for bulk transmission systems and data center integration.
• Develop: Develop modeling and analysis tools, optimization formulation, simulation techniques, and clear, compelling visualizations to communicate research findings.
• Build: Build tools to pull, clean, process, and integrate diverse datasets into existing workflows.
• Strengthen: Strengthen GPAC’s capabilities in transmission planning and data center integration through data processing and visualization.
• Contribute: Contribute to ongoing projects by delivering technically rigorous and accessible insights for stakeholders.

The Must-Haves
• Background: Minimum of a Master’s degree (or currently enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program, or recently graduated with a Bachelor’s or Master’s within the past 12 months) with a minimum 3.0 GPA, and demonstrated knowledge of power systems planning concepts.
• Experience: Experience applying power systems planning concepts, including at least one of the following: Production Cost Modeling (PCM), Unit Commitment/Economic Dispatch, Resource Adequacy (RA), Transmission Planning, Data Center Integration, or Power Systems Operations. Experience developing scripts in languages like Python or Julia for simulation, data analysis, visualization, optimization, and/or high-performance computing.
• Skills: Script development (Python, Julia), data analysis, visualization, optimization formulation, strong writing, interpersonal, and communication skills.
• Bonus: Experience with code version control using Git/GitHub, open-source software development in Python, experience with NLR-developed tools for energy modeling, and statistical analysis.