Solar Intern - Remote, US

Are you people-oriented and strategically minded?At the intersection of peopleadvocacy and programoperations is the person in this role! The Solar Intern will work on multiple complimentary projects fromcommunity outreach to consumer protection, all in service of ourbiggest equity-focused solar incentive program.

Working with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) across operations, strategy, and consumer protection teams, you'll clean and analyze real program data and use cases. You'll research and compare consumer protection frameworks and audit digital and print marketing materials from vendors for compliance with program requirements. Using this data, you will develop (and present!) your own recommendations to support our goals for equitable and sustainable solar program deployment throughout Illinois. Your recommendations will directly improve our customers' experiences and program effectiveness.

You'll also help customers directly by building a public-facing savings calculator. This calculator will help them understand the impact of escalation rates and total costs of PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) and leases over standard 15- and 20-year terms. In addition, you will create accessible, easy-to-understand graphics for our website about community solar subscriptions, leases, or PPAs, which will draw and empower potential customers. These combined resources will help customers understand why and how our solar program can benefit them, their families, and their communities.

This experience will grant you:

• Real-world experience working on a statewide solar program

• Understanding of data quality and its impact on consumers

• Proficiency in data visualization, data analysis, and checking data accuracy

You will alsogain or deepen:

• Data cleaning and visualization skills

• Insight into solar market trends

• Ability to collaborate across multiple functional teams with many moving pieces

To enable you for success, we are seeking candidates with these qualifications:

• Intermediate Microsoft Excel skills

• Strong research, writing, and analytical skills

While not required, we love to see candidates with experience in:

• Tableau

• Python

• Consumer protection and/or customer service experience

• An understanding of and/or interest in climate justice

Compensation:

• Undergraduate student: $21/hr

• Graduate student: $24/hr

Skills:

• Data Analysis

• Customer service

• Strong written and verbal communication

Personality Traits:

• Attention to detail

• Organized

Qualifications:

• Intermediate skill in Excel

• Enrolled full- or part-time in an undergraduate program as a second to fourth-year student or enrolled in a graduate program

• US Citizen or permanent resident

• Available to meet weekly full-time hours requirement between May and August 2027

Nice to have/coachable:

• Python and/orTableauexperience

To apply, please upload your resume, 2 short essays (500 words or less each), and a work sample.

Due to the scope of this role, you may touch on many special projects to make it a fulfilling experience. Project opportunities include:

• Develop key insight on the market: Research and document key client needs and goals around equitable program impacts
• Get hands-on industry experience: Review proposals and utility energy efficiency plans and compile, organize, and perform analysis on qualitative and quantitative data
• Meet a variety of industry professionals and deepen your professional network: Work cross-functionally with key team members to develop resources and implement process improvements

• Commitment to advancing energy and environmental equity
  
• Basic Microsoft Office skills (Excel, PowerPoint)
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with a team
• Experience gathering, tracking, and sorting data

Compensation:

• Undergraduate student: $21/hr
• Graduate student: $24/hr

• Currently enrolled full- or part-time in an undergraduate program as a second to fourth-year student or enrolled in a graduate program
  
  
  
  • Please note we are unable to accept applications from first-year undergraduate students or recent graduates who are not enrolled in a program
  
  
  
  
• A US Citizen or permanent resident
  
  
  
  • Please note we are unable to host international students
  
  
  
  
• Available to meet your weekly hours requirement between May and August for Summer and between September and November for Fall
• Motivated by the Energy Solutions' mission to reduce carbon emissions with an equity lens

You may apply to up to 2 positions per cycle.

• Your updated resume/CV.
• 2 short essays that meets the criteria below.
• A work sample that meets the criteria below.

• Be original documents written by you. We will not accept work written by or with the assistance of ChatGPT or other AI/chatbot programs.
• Be 500 words or less each.
• Answer the following prompts:
  
  
  
  1. Describe how you have overcome adversity and applied the lessons learned to your academic, professional, or personal life.
  2. Describe how the internship you apply for will enhance or help launch your career in an energy related industry.
  
  
  
  

• Be an original document written by you. We will not accept work written by or with the assistance of ChatGPT or other AI/chatbot programs. You are permitted to submit a section of a larger document, including a document you wrote in collaboration with others, so long as the section you submit is entirely your own work.
• Be between 1 and 3 pages long, single or double spaced, not including sources. You may submit a document longer than 3 pages but we will not read past the 3rd page.
• Demonstrate your ability to communicate your thinking about an idea.This is vague by design; anything that you wrote-whether for a class, a job, or for personal reasons-and are proud of will probably suffice.
• Focus on a topic important to you. The topic does not have to be related to the internship you are applying for, but if it is, all the better.

We will not accept late applications or make exceptions regarding the criteria.We reserve the right to close our applications before the deadline.

Please reach out tointernships@energy-solution.comwith anyquestions. Applications sent in via emailorpast the deadline will not be accepted.

If you are interested in a Fall position, check back in summer. Our Fall 2026 program application cycle opened in May 2026.