This summer, Aspen Power welcomed eight bright and talented interns to its New York City headquarters for a 10 – week program designed to provide hands-on experience, professional development, and a deeper understanding of the clean energy industry.
Working across departments, including marketing, project development, investments, corporate development, asset management, and engineering, our interns tackled complex projects, offered fresh perspectives, and shared a genuine passion for Aspen’s mission of building the clean energy future, together. . Several of our interns joined us through NYSERDA’s Clean Energy Internship Program, and we appreciate the support that made these opportunities possible. From their first day to their final week, they collaborated with teams across the organization, built lasting connections, and saw firsthand the impact of their work. Here are some of their reflections from a summer well spent.
What were you most looking forward to at the start of your internship?
Ellie Siakavellas, Marketing & Communications Intern:
“I was most looking forward to joining an incredible initiative in the clean energy sector and contributing to meaningful, purpose-driven work alongside an amazing team.”
Charles Hou, Software Engineering & Machine Learning Intern:
“I was looking forward to working on challenging edge-device projects that would allow me to explore different methodologies and the latest industrial approaches to solving problems.”
Hansen Ogden, Project Development Intern:
“What I was really looking forward to was the ‘Project Development’ role in the job description – it had a bunch of things I was interested in working on, and it’s turned out to be spot on with what I’m doing now. I was also excited to get into renewable energy, since anything in that space is fast-paced and really interesting to me.”
Did you set any goals for yourself coming into this role?
Sage McCamley, Investments Intern:
“I set a few specific goals for myself coming into this role. First, I wanted to challenge myself to grow professionally. Through this internship, I was hoping to become more comfortable and immersed in the corporate world. I also went into this role with the intention of improving various skills pertaining to finance including modeling, analysis, and presentation skills.”
Charles Hou, Software Engineering & Machine Learning Intern:
“My goal was to refine my skills and become better at problem-solving. In my role, it’s important to constantly stay updated on the latest technological methods, so I make it a point to read, research, and implement new ideas myself. Another goal I was excited about was the opportunity to work closely with a team.”
Rutuja Ingole, Software Engineering & Machine Learning Intern:
“My first goal was to improve my communication skills. Next, I wanted to learn as much as possible -academic work and professional work are completely different, and I wanted to experience how companies operate in real time. My third goal was to contribute to something meaningful, something where people could say, ‘Yes, Rutuja started that.’”
What projects did you get to work on?
Jade Dalbey, Commercial Asset Management Intern:
“I’ve been tasked with tracking dispatch orders for our assets as well as tracking payments across our assets. I’m currently working on this month’s close, so I’m putting together the monthly KPI discussion as well as checking the invoice against the power purchase agreement of each asset. It’s really exciting to be looking at both the energy we’re producing and the revenue that we’re reporting; I love the fact that I’m getting the dual view of energy production and the finance behind it.”
Tristan Murray, Energy Analytics & Optimization Intern:
“Most of my work involves data analysis, which aligns with my concentration in data science. One specific project I’ve been focusing on is testing whether satellite data from APIs or online sources can be used as a backup for weather stations. If a weather station goes down, this data could serve as a substitute and possibly replace certain functions entirely.”
Ellie Siakavellas, Marketing & Communications Intern:
“During my time at Aspen Power, I worked on a variety of marketing projects, from lead generation and social media to PR, events, and internal communications. The diversity of these projects gave me valuable exposure to different aspects of the field.”
Did you meet the goals you set? What were you most proud of?
Hansen Ogden, Project Development Intern:
“I met my goals, but every day that I’m here they keep getting more accomplished, and I’m most proud of my consistency from day one until the end. I’ve been consistently learning and also being productive with my output, net positive.”
Sage McCamley, Investments Intern:
“Although I still have a lot of room to grow, I would say that I am proud of the progress I made this summer in meeting my goals. I am most proud of the internship project we completed this summer, as it was a great way to practice my goals in real time alongside my peers.”
Rutuja Ingole, Software Engineering & Machine Learning Intern:
“I’m most proud of debugging parts of the code. It can be such a headache, but when you finally get something to work, it’s incredibly satisfying – it’s that moment where you think, ‘Okay, I can do this.’”
What was your favorite part of interning at Aspen Power?
Charles Hou, Software Engineering & Machine Learning Intern:
“My favorite part is the freedom to explore. Typically, my managers would assign me a task without strict boundaries, allowing me to choose my own approach. They might suggest a specific method or library to guide me, but the flexibility to design and execute my own process is something I truly value, and I know it’s not common in every workplace.”
Heather Boehm, Corporate Development MBA Summer Associate:
“The people! Everyone here was so welcoming and passionate about the same mission.”
Jade Dalbey, Commercial Asset Management Intern:
“My favorite part of interning at Aspen Power has been the work environment. I’m passionate about what we’re doing here and what’s not to love about sustainable energy! Everyone in this office is amazing, and some of our events outside the office – whether that’s Happy Hours or going away parties – have really been the highlight. It’s kind of like the saying, ‘It’s not where you are but who you’re with.”
Any advice for future interns?
Ellie Siakavellas, Marketing & Communications Intern:
“My advice to future interns is to stay attentive, ask plenty of questions, be proactive, and most importantly, enjoy the experience.”
Sage McCamley, Investments Intern:
“Take advantage of every learning opportunity that arises; no matter what you are working on or who you are talking to, there are endless possibilities to learn more about business, renewable energy, and the professionals around you.”
Tristan Murray, Energy Analytics & Optimization Intern:
“Don’t stress yourself out too much. I was nervous about what the environment would be like, but this is truly a great place to work. Take your work seriously, but don’t let the anxiety overshadow the experience.”
Interns bring fresh ideas, energy, and curiosity that benefit Aspen Power as much as the program benefits them. Over 10 weeks, this group made meaningful contributions while gaining real – world skills that will carry into their careers. As Heather put it best: “The people!”—it’s the team spirit and shared mission that make Aspen a special place to grow.
We’re proud of what they’ve accomplished and excited to see how they help shape the clean energy future.