NREL Welcomes Fresh Perspectives From Next Generation of Renewable Energy Researchers

NREL Welcomes Fresh Perspectives From Next Generation of Renewable Energy Researchers

Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) welcomes hundreds of interns from across the country to contribute to its mission of expanding renewable energy. While internships are offered year-round, summer remains the peak season, with more than 500 total interns at the laboratory in summer 2024 alone.

Danelle Wilder, NREL's graduate internship program coordinator, plays a pivotal role in recruiting this new talent and providing opportunities for the next generation of leaders in renewable energy. In her view, NREL internships go beyond simply boosting resumes-they offer a gateway into the renewable energy sector, allowing participants to apply their knowledge, acquire new skills, and contribute to impactful projects while building lifelong connections.

For the employees at NREL, the arrival of interns brings fresh perspectives, diversity, and new energy. Wilder emphasizes how interns' varied backgrounds and educational experiences enrich the workplace.

"It was described to me as 'a breath of fresh air' when the interns come in," she said. "They bring with them new knowledge from their schools, and the diversity of thought from different universities and learning styles is amazing."

The Excitement of Tangible Results: Amanda Behmer, Solar Researcher

NREL attracts talent from all levels of academia, from undergraduates to doctoral researchers. One such talent is Amanda Behmer, whose journey to NREL began with a deep concern for the environment. Her passion for sustainability started in middle school when she experimented with living a zero-waste lifestyle.

"I was really interested in plastic pollution, specifically in microplastics," Behmer shared. "[The challenge] taught me a lot about how sustainability isn't necessarily integrated into every aspect of our lives yet and how it took a lot of effort to be sustainable and use as little plastic as possible."

This early passion for sustainability followed Behmer into high school, where she experimented with algae and microplastic pollution. A pivotal moment came when her teacher connected her with a researcher at NREL, opening a door to the possibility of an internship. Two years later, after earning an associate degree in chemistry from Arapaho Community College, Behmer found herself working at NREL.

During her internship, Behmer focused on creating and testing organic photovoltaic devices-an innovative form of solar technology. A typical day in the lab involved depositing carbon-based solutions onto conductive glass, aiming to develop solar panels that are less obtrusive and can be integrated into pre-existing infrastructure.

"Organic photovoltaic devices actually have the potential to be semitransparent," Behmer explained. "That's really exciting, because then you have different applications of making these solar devices different colors, and their semitransparent properties mean that they can be used on windows or in greenhouses to harvest light energy while simultaneously allowing light to pass through."

Of course, Behmer's research did not always go as planned. She quickly learned the importance of troubleshooting and adaptability.

"That was something that challenged me initially, but it's a skill that I am grateful I was able to develop," she reflected.

This resilience paid off, as her favorite part of the internship became the tangible results she achieved.

"Realizing that I created a functioning photovoltaic device and a functioning solar cell was just kind of a surreal experience all the time," she said. "I had my previous research, but I hadn't made something so tangible before."

Wilder underscored the importance of this hands-on experience.

"Your university will prepare you, but there are these things that you just don't know yet," she said. "And so, [students are] able to do an internship and learn more about the things they don't know, especially in the laboratory."

Not all learning happens in the lab, though.

Modeling the Future: Mansi Sharma, Energy Analysis

Mansi Sharma, who works remotely with NREL's Integrated Modelling and Economic Analysis departmentwhile pursuing a master's degree in sustainability at the Rochester Institute of Technology, values the flexibility of NREL's program.

Like Behmer, Sharma's passion for sustainability began early. Growing up in Delhi, India, she witnessed the critical need for clean energy as her city struggled with hazardous air quality. Inspired by the sustainability initiatives she read about in Europe, Sharma initially planned to study there.

"European countries have been really, really active about taking this initiative on sustainability on many grounds, whether it's recycling initiatives or talking about forestry, or environmental health and safety," Sharma recalled. "It just got me more interested."

However, Sharma's path took a different turn due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After working with national laboratories in India, she decided to pursue her master's in the United States and later secured an internship with NREL.

Now, Sharma is involved in economic modeling and decarbonization efforts, specifically focusing on the glass industry.

While glass itself is recyclable by nature, many businesses find it more cost-effective to simply demolish and throw away shards.

"The industry folks say, on the other hand, that it's not really possible because of the way we dispose of glass," Sharma explained. "If you look at buildings, which are there for, like, 50 years or so, when they're demolished, it's really difficult to separate that glass from the concrete. It makes glass recycling difficult."

Sharma's team aims to create a "one-stop-shop" tool that forecasts economic scenarios for the industry to create a more cost-effective method of recycling glass. The solar energy sector, specifically, will benefit from this tool as researchers shift their focus to creating a circular economy for photovoltaic arrays. On a broader scope, the hope is that this tool, alongside pushes for sustainability from the Department of Energy, will make recycling glass more economical for all businesses interacting with glass.

Sharma clarified that, as with all conversations surrounding sustainability, this project must address not only the environmental aspects but the economic and social aspects as well. One facet of this tool will be the potential job creation it would mean for the United States.

"What my team is talking about is like, right now, the United States [imports] so much glass, and there's a push to 'make in America' or make us self-reliant," Sharma said. "So, you know, it could answer questions on social sustainability-it could generate jobs."

Discovering a New Passion: Jaylon McGhee, Wind Technology Engineer

While Sharma and Behmer discovered their passion for renewable energy early on, others, like Jaylon McGhee, found their calling through the internship itself.

McGhee's work with NREL began for the first time five years ago while he was in graduate school. With a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, he was not yet sure where he wanted to go with his career. After joining a graduate program at the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder, he learned of NREL for the first time when he was required to find an internship.

"Honestly, I wasn't familiar with NREL, but the name was cool, so I put them as one of my options," McGhee joked. "They selected me for an internship, and, yeah, I've enjoyed it ever since."

It was during this experience that McGhee learned of the intersection of engineering and renewable energy and decided to shift his career path. Now, he is pursuing a Ph.D. at CU Boulder in aerospace engineering with a focus on wind energy technologies.

In summer 2024, he secured a second internship with NREL, this time focusing on atmospheric stability. Much of his work involves simulating different atmospheric conditions to better understand the effects they have on the fatigue loads of wind turbines.

"You can't put a turbine up and decide what the wind and the weather is going to be like that specific day," McGhee explained. "[Weather] can have different impacts on the mean and standard deviation of the wind speeds-so, atmospheric turbulence."

Simulations are anintegral piece in the process of maximizing the performance and efficiency of wind turbines-a widespread goal among wind energy researchers.

"There have been a lot of studies that have been done comparing, say, the neutral state (which is commonly found at nighttime) to a daytime state, but there need to be a few more cases done to get a better understanding of how this works," McGhee said.

This project has allowed him to practice his skills in computational analysis and coding with the Pythonprogramming language to model the physics of atmospheric conditions. At his university, on the other hand, he works as an experimentalist in a wind tunnel under controlled conditions. It is another helpful form of simulating conditions, he said, though not as full of a picture.

Besides the incredible learning opportunities, McGhee said that one of the most impactful parts of his internships at NREL has been the knowledge that his work is contributing to a mission that he stands behind.

"I just love to be a part of working on some of the nation's hardest challenges and putting my input into how I can help achieve some of these goals and mitigate some of the future scientific challenges for the United States."

As Summer Winds Down

According to Wilder, this passion for NREL's mission is a common thread for those who work at the laboratory.

Still, the benefits of these internships extend beyond the feeling of purpose. Each summer, some of Wilder's favorite moments are the events and presentations that sum up the work the interns have done and the bonds they have formed with their fellow researchers.

"As summer winds down, it's always nice to reflect," she said. "It's kind of nice to see the closing out of summer and everyone having a good time and seeing how cool it is and how impactful their internship has been. It makes all the hard work that we do to get the interns here worth it."

Interested in an internship at NREL? Learn more about our internship opportunities.

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