Renewable Energy Mentorship Program (Internship)

Renewable Energy Mentorship Program for Under-Represented Minority Students

Overview:

Accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy is one of the most important challenges of our lifetime. Key to doing this successfully is ensuring that leading companies can identify, recruit, and nurture skilled young professionals with the potential to lead this critical and fast-growing industry. In other words, we need you.

Unfortunately, not every community has equal access to the mentorship, training, and network relationships that so often open doors. Together, LevelTen Energy, EnergyGPS, Google, Microsoft, Clearway, SB Energy, E3, and Portland Gas and Electric are taking on the shared mission to bring more talented and diverse young professionals into the renewable energy industry by launching the Energy Scholars Mentorship Program. The Energy Scholars program is a paid internship and mentorship program designed to equip dedicated and capable college scholars with the skills required to secure (and excel in) well-paid jobs in the renewable energy industry.

The program progresses you through a well-defined, diverse curriculum, led by industry-leading organizations. The program will be run in collaboration with EarthLab and the Clean Energy Institute at the University of Washington. Energy Scholars will benefit from exposure to a dynamic cohort of other students and researchers in the clean energy revolution.  

Objectives:

Success of the Energy Scholars program will be measured by the number of scholars successfully placed in the renewable energy industry upon graduation. Core curriculum objectives include:

• Developing a deep understanding of wholesale energy market operations and renewable energy technology
• Supplying scholars with foundational energy analysis skills
• Providing professional development opportunities including informational interviews with companies, mock interviews, coaching sessions, industry networking, and key connections for future internships
• Opening up clear and viable energy career tracks for scholars with a variety of interests and skills

Benefits & Perks:

• Paid summer internships (monthly stipend, travel, and accommodation)
• Clear pathways to subsequent internships and full-time positions, as scholars hone their career preferences over time
• Explore beautiful Seattle, WA

Program Highlights:

• Energy 101: Students will learn the nuts and bolts of energy markets, develop foundational analytical skills, and explore vital industry background. The frame for learning these fundamental concepts, and for the entire summer, will be a utility-scale wind or solar project, itself. Students will dissect the project development process from start to finish, developing an appreciation for siting, permitting, interconnecting, and key technological issues. Students will learn how to value the energy produced by a project and will learn how to trade energy in a wholesale market.
• Diverse Experience: Each participating company will lead different lessons, providing students with a broad overview of the available opportunities and the skills required to succeed in those jobs. Students will learn the industry from the perspective of a project developer, an analytics firm, a Fortune 50 power buyer, and an energy exchange operator.
• Hands-On Projects: Though students will gain the unique perspectives of all five participating companies, the experience will be highly coordinated. The connective tissue linking the lessons learned at each organization will be a renewable energy project. On day one, each student will be assigned an actual wind or solar project under development. Students will carry these projects with them throughout the summer, developing a deep, nuanced understanding of the industry through a project lens.
• Going Forward: For dedicated students, the first summer may be just the beginning. Participating companies will offer additional internships (both school year and summer) and career opportunities to talented and motivated students. Student-company matches will be based on the preferences of both the scholar and the organization.
• Explore Seattle: Get to know your classmates and the Pacific Northwest! Scholars will be housed, for free, on the beautiful University of Washington campus in Seattle for the summer. A dedicated program coordinator will organize numerous social events throughout the summer.

Program Dates:

6/23/25 – 8/15/25

Eligibility & Expectations:

Eligible applicants will meet the following minimum requirements:

• Currently enrolled in an accredited undergraduate program 
• Legally authorized to work in the U.S.
• Strong energy interest 
• Solid mathematical and analytical skills (some demonstrated coursework)
• A commitment to the program, willingness to learn, and a passion for renewable energy
• A commitment to spending the duration of the program in Seattle

Students from under-represented minority groups within the renewable energy industry (Black or African-American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or two or more races) are strongly encouraged to apply.