Power System Optimization Intern - Fall 2026/Spring 2027
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This Opportunity
WSP USA hosts hundreds of internships across the United States to gain hands-on, meaningful work experience to enhance their education and professional aptitude. Our interns gain exposure to real projects while working side by side with senior staff. Through our Developing Professionals Network, interns gain mentorship, networking opportunities and lifelong career connections.
Our Power and Energy Team is seeking a Part-Time Power System Optimization Intern to work out of our Houston, TX office. This temporary position is seeking individuals currently enrolled in an Undergraduate or Graduate degree program.
This internship is anticipated to take place during the Fall 2026 / Spring 2026 semesters.
Your Impact
- Support a variety of engineering tasks with the goal to develop technical, social, and ethical skills.
- Develop and validate optimization models for various generation mixes including renewable energy systems such as solar PV, wind, battery storage, fuel cells, hybrid microgrids, and data centers.
- Conduct power systems modeling for data centers, including UPS systems, generator integration, redundancy (e.g., N, N+1, 2N), and failure mode analysis.
- Perform data center microgrids’ reliability, availability modeling (RAM) analysis.
- Perform steady state and dynamic simulations, system level optimization, sensitivity analysis, and techno-economic evaluation of renewable and mission-critical power systems.
- Evaluate energy infrastructure integration for grid-connected and islanded modes in both utility and data center applications.
- Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams including engineering and project management.
- Communicate technical results through clear documentation, reports, and stakeholder presentations.
- Support white papers, and strategic energy systems operation and planning efforts.
- Complete training on assigned tasks.
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
- Please note that there is no relocation or housing assistance associated with this internship.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Actively enrolled in an accredited Electrical Engineering, with specialization in power and energy systems operation and planning or related, Undergraduate program with an anticipated graduation date of June 2026 or later.
- Must be 18 or older.
- Demonstrated interest in Electrical Engineering or related field, and have a strong desire to advance skills related to WSP’s work and projects.
- Competent interpersonal and communication skills when interacting with others, expressing ideas effectively and professionally to an engineering and non-engineering audience.
- Capable of taking direction from leadership, mentors, and managers to executive projects.
- Basic proficiency with technical writing, office automation, software, spreadsheets, technology, and tools.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Authorization to work in the United States at the start of the internship
Preferred Qualifications
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Electrical Engineering, with specialization in power and energy systems operation and planning.
- Experience with microgrid operation and planning optimizations, system level reliability and resilience analysis, and battery energy storage applications.
- Proficiency in Python for programming, numerical modeling, and data processing.
- Experience with renewable energy integration, load flow analysis, power quality, and grid-tied inverter systems.
- Experience with system dispatch modeling and revenue optimization of BESS systems in various ISO’s (ERCOT, CAISO, PJM, etc).
- Knowledge of optimization problems (LP, MILP, NLP, etc.) and appropriate solvers (Gurobi, IPOPT, GLPK, etc.), and familiarity with AI/ML applications in power and energy systems.
- Record of technical publications or presentations in energy systems operation, optimization, or planning.
- Experience with power systems software tools such as PSSE and PSCAD for data center applications.
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
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