Graduate (Summer Intern) – Large-scale Power System Modeling, Simulation and Analysis

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

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About The Position

NLR is located at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Golden, Colorado is the nation's primary laboratory for energy systems research and development. Join the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), where world-class scientists, engineers, and experts are accelerating energy innovation through breakthrough research and systems integration. From our mission to our collaborative culture, NLR stands out in the research community for its commitment to an affordable and secure energy future. Spanning foundational science to applied systems engineering and analysis, we focus on solving complex challenges to deliver advanced, secure, reliable, and cost-effective energy solutions. Our work helps strengthen U.S. industries, support job creation, and promote national economic growth. At NLR, you'll find a mission-driven environment supported by state-of-the-art facilities, multidisciplinary research teams, and strong collaborations with industry, academia, and other national laboratories. We offer robust professional development opportunities, and a competitive benefits package designed to support your career and well-being. The Grid Automation and Control group (GAC) of the Power Systems and Engineering Center (PSEC) at NLR is looking for an exceptional graduate student to support research in the modeling and simulation of modern power grids that are experiencing increased growth of load and inverter-based resources(IBRs). The successful candidate will be working on cutting-edge projects in power system modeling, simulation, and stability analysis. The successful candidate is expected to bring in solid large-scale bulk power system modeling and simulation expertise to address the stability and reliability challenges of the future grid. The GAC group works to develop and apply state-of-the-art energy system modeling techniques, software, and simulations for breakthrough engineering and techno-economic analysis of the emerging future electric grid.

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.
• Please Note: •You will need to upload official or unofficial school transcripts as part of the application process. •If selected for position, a letter of recommendation will be required as part of the hiring process.
• Must meet educational requirements prior to employment start date.
• Strong understanding of small-signal, transient, and voltage stability
• Hands-on experience developing user-defined dynamic models of IBRs in PSS®E or PSLF
• Familiarity with modeling of energy storage systems, including pumped-storage hydro and batteries
• Experience in modeling and simulation of inverter-based resources (IBRs) and stability analysis of high-IBR-dominated power systems
• Experience with data center modeling is a plus
• Hands-on experience with new IBR models (e.g., WECC REGFMA1,REGFMB1, vendor-provided models) is a plus
• Experience with software development in Python, C++, or other programming languages
• Hands-on experience developing automated tools for accelerating contingency analysis is a plus
• Solid background in power systems dynamics and modeling including load flow, short-circuit, and contingency analysis
• Proficiency with power system simulation tools in Phasor-domain (e.g.,PSSE, PSLF, Powerworld, etc., PSCAD or EMTP experience a plus)
• Strong understanding of inverter-based resource(IBR) integration challenges, and power system stability concepts
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to process, interpret, and present technical results clearly
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

• Conduct transient analysis (small-signal, transient, and voltage stability) for high IBR-dominated systems
• Support large-scale system studies (e.g., national-scale scenarios) using commercial tools (e.g., PSSE, DIgSILENT PowerFactory, PSCAD) or open-source tools (e.g., ParaEMT, ANDES and others)
• Develop new types of electrical components (such as advanced pumped storage hydro, data center, etc.) for large-scale power grids study
• Support interconnection studies, grid impact assessments, and compliance studies.
• Prepare the results in form of reports and presentations
• Write and publish results of analyses in peer-reviewed journals, transactions, conference proceedings, and/or technical reports

Benefits

• Benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance; 403(b) Employee Savings Plan with employer match; and sick leave (where required by law).
• NLR employees may be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, performance-, merit-, and achievement- based awards that include a monetary component.
• Some positions may be eligible for relocation expense reimbursement.

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees