2024 Shultz Energy Fellowships: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA): WAPA Vehicle Fleet
Regional-, 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 students into energy and climate ecosystems in the West through the Shultz Energy Fellowships program, an energy-related summer fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students.
Named in honor of former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, one of the most widely admired American public servants of the past half-century, the program offers a suite of paid, energy-related public service fellowships for Stanford students in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Hawaii during the summer.
The fellowships run from Monday, June 24, 2024 to Friday, August 30, 2024.
Office description:
Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is one of four power marketing administrations within the U.S. Department of Energy, whose role is to market and transmit wholesale electricity from multi-use water projects. Our service area encompasses a 15-state region of the central and western U.S. where our approximately 17,000 circuit mile transmission system carries electricity from 57 hydropower plants operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the International Boundary and Water Commission.
We wholesale this clean and carbon free power to preference customers such as Federal and state agencies, cities and towns, rural electric cooperatives, public utility districts, irrigation districts and Native American tribes. They, in turn, provide retail electric service to over 40 million of consumers in the West.
WAPA recently finished a new strategic plan, PowerForward 2030, that was developed with our customers and employees that lays out the roadmap for safeguarding a sustainable energy future, modernizing the grid and investing in our employees. WAPA is also working to meet the goals of Executive Order 14057 (December 8, 2021) Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries and Jobs Through Federal Sustainability, including 100 percent zero-emission light-duty vehicle acquisitions by 2027. Through this work, we will empower the thousands of communities we serve and partner with them to secure a resilient energy future.
Potential project:
The fellow will have an opportunity to help WAPA with planning activities and data analysis related to our vehicle fleet. WAPA has hundreds of vehicles across our 15-state territory that are used to accomplish our daily mission. Vehicles range from light duty sedans to heavy-duty utility trucks and semi tractor trailers. WAPA also has dozens of buildings, substations, and facilities where our vehicles are located and/or required to visit. To meet goals of EO 14057, WAPA has a need for a thorough analysis of our fleet to help advise future decisions and options for acquiring zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). The project will include the following:
- Gathering data from multiple sources and conducting analysis in Microsoft Excel, including vehicle location, mileage, make/model, usage, distances between WAPA office locations, and other factors.
- Determine the suitability of WAPA facilities for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations.
- Learning about current ZEV technologies and capabilities.
- Interviewing and collaborating with key stakeholders.
- Documenting, summarizing, and reporting results and making recommendations.
A successful candidate will be proficient in Microsoft Excel, written and verbal communication, and have critical thinking skills.
The fellow would learn about the U.S. energy industry, the career paths available, build networks and relationships with industry subject matter experts as well as contribute to the economic and societal vitality for thousands of communities across WAPA’s 15 state territory.
For WAPA, a successful engagement would be to leverage the fellow’s curiosity, support developing his/her skills and knowledge of data gathering and analysis and gain new perspective in advancing our mission and strategic objectives.
WAPA anticipates staff will have a flexible work policy for summer 2024. If this is the case, the fellow will have the option to work fully in-person, partially remote, or fully remote, with in-person work highly encouraged. WAPA has offices in the following locations:
- Folsom, California
- Billings, Montana
- Lakewood, Colorado (HQ)
- Loveland, Colorado
- Phoenix, Arizona
Potential mentor:
- Vice president, director or similar level, dependent on project area(s) selected
2023 WAPA Fellows:
- Hugo Budd '24 Civil Engineering
- Anna Clark, B.S. Engineering Physics (Renewable Energy) 2023; M.S. Management Science & Engineering (Energy & Environment) 2024
Desired Skills:
- Ability to build productive relationships and work with diverse teams and perspectives
- Ability to work independently; curious/learning agile
- Strong research, quantitative analysis, and writing and communication skills are highly desired. Experience with Excel is required.
Eligibility:
- This opportunity is open to students from any major with the desired skills.
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- All Shultz fellows must be enrolled in the spring quarter before their fellowship.
- All Shultz fellows must take a one-unit spring workshop course, 'Energy Policy in California and the West' taught by Professor Bruce Cain and Visiting Fellow Felicia Marcus 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 / ENERGY 73. Schedule: Wednesdays from 9:30 am - 10:20 am (Spilker 143).
