Summer 2026

Software Engineering Intern

Posted on 2/21/2026

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1,001-5,000 employees

Research and data services for renewables

Compensation Overview

$24.62 - $39.38/hr

+ Relocation Expense Reimbursement

Golden, CO, USA

In Person

Category
Software Engineering (1)
Required Skills
Agile
Python
Software Testing
Git
Julia
Requirements
  • Must be enrolled as a full-time student in a Bachelor's, Master's or PhD degree program, or graduated in the past 12 months from an accredited institution.
  • Candidates who have earned a degree may work for a period not to exceed 12 months.
  • Must have a minimum of a 3.0 cumulative grade point average.
  • Completed a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Operational Research, Applied Mathematics, or a related field, or currently enrolled in a master's or PhD program in these fields
  • Demonstrated proficiency in at least one modern programming language (e.g., Julia or Python)
  • Solid understanding of core computer science principles and software engineering practices
  • Experience using Git and GitHub for version control
  • A link to a GitHub profile and a portfolio of software projects or applications is required for consideration
  • Excellent problem-solving and communication skills
  • Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date
Responsibilities
  • Contribute to the full software development lifecycle, from design and prototyping to testing and deployment of applications in the Sienna platform.
  • Develop new features for existing and new energy analysis applications and libraries, including planning and operational models.
  • Collaborate with researchers to take technical specifications and translate them into code.
  • Write documentation and unit tests to ensure code quality and maintainability.
  • Participate in code reviews and team meetings, actively contributing to our agile development process.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with mathematical optimization for energy modeling (e.g. capacity expansion models, unit commitment, economic dispatch).
  • Knowledge of software development best practices like CI/CD and automated testing
  • A strong interest in power systems
National Renewable Energy Laboratory

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) conducts research on renewable energy and energy efficiency and provides data and technological solutions to government, industry, and academia. Its offerings include R&D outputs and a developer network that gives access to energy data via Web services, enabling developers to build solutions for solar, wind, bioenergy, and alternative fuels. Unlike many private firms, NREL is a government-funded national lab under the U.S. Department of Energy, providing scale, credibility, and access to public-sector partnerships for data and research. Its goal is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon energy system by advancing renewable technologies, promoting energy efficiency, and decarbonizing operations, both in its own work and through broader industry impact.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Grant

Total Funding

$14.6M

Headquarters

Golden, Colorado

Founded

1977

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Federal mission ensures recurring funding for long-cycle energy research.
  • Recent AI wildfire and plastics licensing work expands partnership opportunities.
  • Distributed wind, construction, and grid-resilience projects broaden commercial relevance.

What critics are saying

  • DOE renaming to National Laboratory of the Rockies dilutes NREL’s renewable-energy identity.
  • Mission drift toward broader energy addition weakens solar, wind, and efficiency focus.
  • Recent layoffs signal staffing pressure that slows grants, partnerships, and research throughput.

What makes National Renewable Energy Laboratory unique

  • DOE’s primary renewable-energy lab anchors research, deployment, and commercialization.
  • NREL combines lab facilities with industry partnerships and technology transfer.
  • Its datasets and testbeds support validation for energy, grid, and materials technologies.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Short\-term disability insurance

Long-term disability insurance

403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match

Pension benefits

Personal time off (PTO)

Sick leave

Paid holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-2%

1 year growth

-2%

2 year growth

-2%
BlogWallet
May 21st, 2026
Odyne Systems showcased unique new walk-in van hybrid power application at the 2013 NTEA work truck show.

Odyne Systems showcased unique new walk-in van hybrid power application at the 2013 NTEA work truck show. by yultide May 21, 2026 13 Waukesha, WI, March 09, 2013 -(PR.com)- Pat Davis, Program Manager of the Vehicle Technologies Program at the U.S. Department of Energy and Ron Schoon, Executive Manager - Partnership Development, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) visited with Odyne Systems President and CEO, Joe Dalum, on Tuesday, March 5, during the Green Truck Summit. While visiting Odyne's booth at the NTEA show, they got a closer look at the Odyne plug-in hybrid system that is reducing diesel fuel consumption up to 50%, depending on duty cycles, in work trucks. Davis noted there are a number of forces coming together to support expansion of alternative energy vehicles - a combination of improving technology, new capability to manufacture critical components, new product offerings, new policy incentives and continuing concern regarding its dependency on petroleum. In the area of improved technology, batteries are two to three times better than what they were just a few years ago and the costs for those improved batteries are coming down. Odyne Systems, LLC, a leading manufacturer of hybrid systems for medium and heavy duty work trucks, showcased its advanced hybrid propulsion system in booth 5566 at the National Truck Equipment Association show March 6-8 in Indianapolis, IN, and had a unique new application in a walk-in van on display at the Ride Drive event. The event also provided an introductory platform to showcase the new relationship between Allison Transmission and Odyne Systems. Allison and Odyne introduced a new co-marketing program for the Odyne hybrid system, including a new joint logo and brochure, and engineering collaboration to optimize the drivetrain. Joe Dalum and Joe Pellissier, Process Improvement Manager at NV Energy, spoke at the GTA on "Measuring Duty Cycles and Making the Business Case for Hybrid Electric." About Odyne Systems, LLC Odyne is a leader in hybrid drive systems for medium and heavy duty vehicles. Odyne's advanced plug-in hybrid technology enables trucks over 14,000 pounds to have substantially lower fuel consumption, lower emissions, improved performance, quieter job site operation and reduced operating and maintenance costs. Odyne has fielded more plug-in hybrid trucks to fleets throughout the United States than any other supplier. The company sells its unique modular hybrid system direct to truck manufacturers and through a global distribution and service network. The name Odyne represents the combination of "O" for Optimal and "dyne" for power or force. Odyne's hybrid system for medium and heavy duty trucks represents the best hybrid power solution for large trucks. For further information, visit Blogwallet at www.odyne.com and follow Blogwallet on Twitter @Odyne. About Allison Transmission Allison Transmission is the world's largest manufacturer of fully-automatic transmissions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, medium- and heavy-tactical U.S. military vehicles and hybrid-propulsion systems for transit buses. Allison transmissions are used in a variety of applications including on-highway trucks (distribution, refuse, construction, fire and emergency), buses (primarily school and transit), motor homes, off-highway vehicles and equipment (primarily energy and mining) and military vehicles (wheeled and tracked). Founded in 1915, the Allison business is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.A. and employs approximately 2,800 people. Allison has manufacturing facilities and customization centers located in China, The Netherlands, Brazil, India and Hungary. With a global presence, serving customers in North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America, and Africa, Allison also has approximately 1,400 independent distributor and dealer locations worldwide. More information about Allison is available at www.allisontransmission.com. Picture Caption: Joe Dalum, President, Odyne, discusses the Odyne system with (l-r) Ron Schoon, Executive Manager, NREL, Patrick Davis, Program Manager, Vehicle Technology at the Department of Energy, and Lee Styslinger III, Chairman and CEO, Altec, Inc.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Jan 28th, 2026
52 Energy Startups Secure a Spot in 2026 Industry Growth Forum Pitch Competition

52 energy startups secure a spot in 2026 Industry Growth Forum Pitch Competition. Companies will pitch 200-plus investors at the IGF, March 31 - April 2 in Denver. Jan. 28, 2026 | By Caitlin McDermott-Murphy | Contact media relations The finalists have been selected, and the stage is set for the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) 2026 Industry Growth Forum (IGF) Pitch Competition. Fifty-two startups just earned the chance to spotlight their energy technologies in the IGF 2026 pitch competition. The annual IGF brings together energy investors and startups to network, learn, and forge partnerships that could help bring novel tech closer to market success. This year, the forum will welcome companies advancing tech for a wide range of fields, including manufacturing, artificial intelligence, microgrids, and critical minerals. Their novel ideas could help manufacturers automate their processes, data center operators conserve power, and energy system designers capitalize on artificial intelligence (AI) to help make energy more affordable and accessible. "IGF is a one-of-a-kind place," said Michael Solomentsev, co-founder and CEO of Palanquin Power and the winner of the IGF's 2025 Best Early Venture award. "There are deals being made, and there is no such thing as a bad conversation." All Systems Go. NLR has hosted the IGF for more than 30 years. But this year's event - themed "All Systems Go" - is likely to be 10 times the size of the laboratory's first. Last year, startup founders, like Solomentsev, mingled with more than 200 investors. A record-setting 1,000-plus attendees participated in more than 2,600 meetings. "There's nothing more optimistic than a room full of startups," said Trish Cozart, the director of NLR's Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, which hosts the IGF, in a 2025 video about the event. The 52 investor-selected startups that earned a spot in the pitch competition will vie to win one of four categories - Early Stage, Pre-Commercialization Stage, Commercialization Stage, and Growth Stage - based on where their tech lies in the spectrum from prototype to market. This year also features a dedicated AI track and an international track. Here are the 52 companies selected to pitch by a committee of leading energy venture capitalists: Early Stage. * Beyond Silicon Inc. * Calectra * Eden Technologies * EsterCycle * HeatFlow * OsmoPure Technologies * Piersica Inc. * SolidSky * Stalagmite * Stormentum Inc. * Teragen Energy * Varada Agriculture Inc. * XERA Energy Pre-Commercialization Stage. * Active Surfaces * Birch Biosciences * Caporus Technologies Inc. * Carnot Engines * Copernic Catalysts * Emvolon Inc. * Florrent * Mana Battery Inc. * Marel Power Solutions * REEgen * Sofab Inks * Supercarb Inc. * Verde Technologies Commercialization Stage. * AeroShield Materials * Arcam Corporation * AtmosZero Inc. * Carba Inc. * Cemvita Inc. * Endolith Mining * Found Industries * GDI * Gravity * InventWood Inc. * Skytree * Transaera * Utility Global Inc. Growth Stage. * Friendlier * Gross-Wen Technologies * INOVUES * Nitricity Inc. * OnePlanet Solar Recycling * Peak Power AI-Track. * Embue * FNN * FLUIX AI * Ping Things Inc. * SirenOpt Inc. * Sensible Photonics * Vellex Computing Companies can also win Best International Venture, Best AI Venture, People's Choice, and Best Overall Venture. Each of the eight winning companies will also pitch on the main stage in front of the full IGF audience during the closing awards luncheon. The pitch competition is just one way that startups connect with potential investors at IGF. Attendees can also participate in 1:1 networking, service provider table topics, corporate reverse pitches (where industry investors share what they and their customers need), receptions, panels, and the expo hall. "What we're really trying to do is match up motivated capital - investors writing checks - with startups who are raising funds to take the next step forward for their technology," Cozart said. Peptalks, jumpstarts, and Demo days. This year, attendees can also join a few new events. In the Startup Pep Talk session, companies can receive practical advice and insider guidance on how to have a successful IGF, including how to prepare for meetings, network effectively, and follow up with investors. In Jumpstart Pre-Conference Technical Workshops, attendees can learn about emerging technical advances. Ask-an-Expert Knowledge Bars give attendees a chance to pick the brains of experts across various energy topics. "There really isn't another event that happens at this scale that brings this many investors and companies together. There isn't an equivalent," said Tim Woodward, the managing director of Prelude Ventures, in an article recapping the 2025 event. Woodward has attended the IGF for almost 30 years. This year, applicants represent 15 different countries and 34 different states. International startups based outside the United States, Canada, and Europe can also join International Demo Day, to be held on Feb. 18, 2026, to participate in a virtual pitch competition, where the winner will receive funding to attend and pitch at the in-person event at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, from March 31 to April 2.

9News
Dec 1st, 2025
Energy department renames NREL as 'National Laboratory of the Rockies'

Energy department renames NREL as 'National Laboratory of the Rockies' The change, announced Monday, is effective immediately. GOLDEN, Colo. - The U.S. Department of Energy has renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, shifting the Golden-based facility to a new identity - the National Laboratory of the Rockies. The change, announced Monday, is effective immediately and will appear in all public communications and official documents. In a news release announcing the change, Assistant Secretary of Energy Audrey Robertson said the updated name reflects the Trump administration's energy priorities. "The energy crisis we face today is unlike the crisis that gave rise to NREL," Robertson said in the announcement. "We are no longer picking and choosing energy sources. Our highest priority is to invest in the scientific capabilities that will restore American manufacturing, drive down costs, and help this country meet its soaring energy demand. The National Lab of the Rockies will play a vital role in those efforts." Laboratory director Jud Virden said the new name underscores the lab's broadened applied-energy mission. "For decades, this laboratory and its scientific capabilities have pushed the boundaries of what's possible and delivered impact to the nation," Virden said. "This new name embraces a broader applied energy mission entrusted to us by the Department of Energy to deliver a more affordable and secure energy future for all." Founded in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, NREL has long focused on developing renewable and energy-efficient technologies across the energy system, from generation to distribution.

Emergency Preparedness Partnerships
Sep 3rd, 2025
NREL Initiative Uses AI to Squash Wildfires Caused by Downed Wires

The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has launched an initiative to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to prevent wildfire activity caused by downed wires.

Matereal
Aug 26th, 2025
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