The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Learn More About The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy

Who are they?

The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy will be in different Seminole Areas in Central Florida (from Tampa Bay to Hollywood, Florida, and several points in between).  This is a mixture of urban and rural communities inhabited by the Seminole Tribe in Florida. Learn more about them at: https://tribalcleanenergy.org/ 

What projects might I work on?

  • Support in developing an application that estimates the benefits of any renewable energy project in the United States hour-by-hour, with a summary of annual GHG emissions and health impacts in all Power Balancing Areas in the United States.
  • Assist in determining potential construction and permanent jobs created by any renewable energy project in the United States to assist in maximizing the social benefits of clean energy.

What will working on projects look like?

The intern will support the development of a data-driven application that quantifies the health and climate benefits of renewable energy projects across Tribal communities in the United States. This role involves transforming complex datasets—including hourly energy usage, emissions inventories, and public health indicators—into actionable insights that estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions displaced and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) prevented.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Aggregating and harmonizing diverse datasets from federal, state, and Tribal sources
  • Developing algorithms to calculate GHG displacement and health impact metrics
  • Building interactive visualizations and dashboards to communicate findings
  • Assisting in the design of a user-friendly application for policymakers, foundations, and financial institutions
  • Supporting spatial and socioeconomic analysis to identify optimal project sites
  • Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and engaging with Tribal stakeholders to ensure cultural relevance and community alignment

The interns work will directly inform strategic investment decisions aimed at maximizing health, climate, and equity outcomes in Tribal communities.

What could I expect to learn from this experience?

Through this internship, students will gain hands-on experience in the technical and analytical aspects of renewable energy development. Interns will learn to:

  • Design and Estimate Energy Production: Apply engineering principles and modeling tools to assess energy output from solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and geothermal systems across diverse geographic and climatic conditions.
  • Quantify Greenhouse Gas Emissions Displacement: Use hour-by-hour simulation techniques to estimate the carbon emissions avoided by deploying clean energy technologies in any region of the United States.
  • Assess Health and Environmental Impacts: Evaluate the public health benefits and ecological improvements resulting from reduced pollution and fossil fuel use, using established environmental impact assessment frameworks.
  • Estimate Capital and Production Costs: Analyze financial metrics including capital investment, operational costs, and levelized cost of energy (LCOE) to determine project feasibility and competitiveness.

This internship equips students with the interdisciplinary skills needed to evaluate, optimize, and advocate for renewable energy solutions in real-world contexts.

What skills are they looking for in a strong candidate?

The qualifications for this position are:

  • Ability to clean, process, and analyze large datasets (e.g., hourly energy use, emissions inventories, health indicators)
  • Familiarity with time-series data and geospatial datasets
  • Quantitative Modeling experience
  • Proficiency in Python or R for data manipulation and analysis
  • Experience with SQL for querying relational databases
  • Familiarity with web development frameworks (e.g., Flask, Django, or Node.js)
  • Understanding of APIs for integrating external datasets (e.g., EPA, CDC, EIA)
  • Experience with knowledge of database design and management 
  • Skill in translating complex data into accessible insights for diverse audiences
  • Comfortable working in interdisciplinary teams (e.g., engineers, public health experts, data scientists)

Although the host site is near or inside the Seminole Tribe of Florida, this project is likely to benefit any Tribal Community in the United States of America because it will estimate hour-by-hour GHG emissions saved, health, environmental, and socioeconomic benefits of renewable energy projects from 2025 to 2050. This will facilitate funding for renewable energy projects in Tribal Communities.

Apply here!

Note: Applications for IAP 2026 will open on Monday, August 25th, and close on Friday, October 17th!

gue@mit.edu