2019 Stanford Energy Internships in California and the West: City of Palo Alto — The Karl Knapp Energy Fellow in City Government
Sponsored by
Precourt Institute for Energy
Bill Lane Center for the American West
Haas Center for Public Service
Funding:
See maximum funding amount and funding details below
Open To:
Co-term
Master's
PhD
Summer
Applications closed
Applications closed on February 4, 2019
Approximate Offer Date:
Friday, March 1, 2019
State- and city-level efforts are essential in our fight against climate change, especially in the field of energy. Stanford University is committed to helping by integrating its best students into the local energy and climate ecosystem through Stanford Energy Internships in California and the West (SEICW), an energy-related summer internship program. This position is funded; you will be the only SEICW intern placed with the City of Palo Alto.
The program runs from Monday, June 24, 2019 to Friday, August 30, 2019.
Karl worked for the City of Palo Alto Utilities from 2001 to 2008 as a Senior Resource Planner. The Karl Knapp Energy Fellow in City Government is a new government internship opportunity Stanford University will be offering as part of the SEICW Program in memory of Karl.
The City of Palo Alto has provided a full range of utility services (electric, gas, water, and sewer) for over 100 years, and is one of the only publicly-owned gas utilities in the State of California. The City has ambitious sustainability goals, as embodied in its Sustainability and Climate Action Plan. Palo Alto has been a leader in Green Building and has been recognized for its Energy Reach Codes. Its Utilities Department has been on the forefront of sustainability, with 100% carbon neutral electric and gas portfolio goals and an award winning solar program. CPAU is working to address long term business planning challenges related to sustainability and the long-term need to maintain safety, reliability, and reasonable rates.
Fellows working with the City of Palo Alto in 2019 will work in the Utilities Department, Resource Management Division. Resource Management is a group of analysts and program managers responsible for managing the City’s electricity, natural gas, and water supply portfolios, financial forecasting and developing customer retail rates, and developing and implementing customer programs related to energy and water efficiency, solar energy, electric vehicles, and building decarbonization.
The specific projects assigned will depend on the skills, abilities, and interests of the candidate and the needs of the City. Projects for the summer of 2019 may include one or more of the following, or similar projects:
Exploring improvements to the electric, gas, and water load forecasting methodology, including long-term projected load changes related to electric vehicles and energy storage.
Assist in mapping EVs registered in Palo Alto into the City’s GIS system and help analyze potential utility transformer loading.
Evaluate hourly consumption information related to the City’s 300-home smart grid pilot and other pilot project related tasks.
Research and analysis related to potential partnerships with large commercial customers on solar and storage electric microgrids.
Evaluate value of energy storage systems for utility operations.
Assessing the potential for voluntary electrification of full residential blocks within the City of Palo Alto.
Exploring the community benefits of potential solar and storage projects at Palo Alto sites like the airport.
Assist in evaluating EV charging installation options in multi-family and mix-used buildings in Palo Alto and assisting with development of an outreach plan..
Assist with developing and disseminating case studies of successful decarbonization and distributed resource projects in Palo Alto (e.g. all-electric homes and buildings, solar/storage projects, efficiency upgrades, EV charging infrastructure).
Create material to educate the public about electrification. This may include print material as well as online content.
Eligibility and Requirements:
All SEICW students must be enrolled in the spring quarter before their SEICW internship. Absolutely no exceptions are made to this rule.
All SEICW students must take a one-unit workshop spring course, 'Energy Policy in California and the West' taught by Bruce Cain, Sally Benson, and Isaac Sevier that will provide an in-depth analysis of the role of California state agencies, the Western Interstate Energy Board, and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council in driving energy policy development, technology innovation, and market structures. Course number is CEE 263G / POLISCI 73 / PUBLPOL 73. This course must be taken in person.
This opportunity is open to both undergraduate and graduate students, with a preference for graduate students during selection. Interested undergraduates can apply via SIG.