As Massachusetts continues to grow its clean energy economy, employers across the sector are seeking talent with both technical knowledge and practical, real-world experience. Clean energy internship opportunities can play a critical role in bridging this gap,giving students and emerging professionals& exposure to real projects while helping businesses build capacity and identify future hires.
Through MassCEC’s Clean Energy Internship program, Renew Energy Partners (REP) is one of 63 organizations in the Spring 2026 session receiving wage reimbursement for their interns. The program connects REP with emerging talent who bring fresh perspectives while providing interns with real‑world professional experience. This spring, MBA student Teja Sunkari joined REP’s business development team, contributing strong analytical and technical skills while gaining hands‑on experience supporting the company’s active projects.
Helping Buildings Cut Energy Use
Renew Energy Partners is a decarbonization firm focused on delivering energy efficiency and onsite clean energy upgrades for commercial and industrial buildings. Working with clients across North America, the company provides both capital investment and engineering support to help building owners implement customized retrofit solutions that reduce energy use and operational costs.
With a team of approximately 15 employees spanning business development, engineering, and finance functions, the organization operates in a fast-moving environment where new talent can make a measurable impact quickly. As part of its growth strategy, Renew Energy Partners has participated in the MassCEC Internship Program for several years, hosting interns across business development, accounting, finance, and marketing roles.
“We love the program and its goals of trying to integrate clean energy and diversity,” said Shayne Kelly, Business Operations Manager at Renew Energy Partners. “We’re always trying to expand who’s getting involved in the renewable energy sector, and this program directly aligns with that commitment.”
Why Renew Energy Partners Invests in Internships
For Renew Energy Partners, internships offer both short-term operational support and long-term workforce value. Because project timelines and business needs can shift quickly, interns are often brought in to support specific functions, such as CRM data analysis, marketing initiatives, or financial process improvements.
Recent interns have contributed to developing budget templates, documenting internal procedures, and strengthening data reporting systems--, resources the company continues to use after each internship cycle. In some cases, the relationship extends beyond the internship period. A previous intern, Elaine Lara, was later brought on as a marketing contractor after successfully supporting business development initiatives during her placement.
Mike Savage, Vice President of Business Development, views internships as an opportunity to provide meaningful exposure while strengthening the company’s talent pipeline. “I benefited from a similar work-study experience in college,” he said. “Being able to offer that same opportunity through this program — while also bringing in fresh skills and perspectives — has been incredibly valuable for our team.”
Teja’s Path into Climatetech
For Teja Sunkari, a graduate student at Babson College pursuing an MBA in entrepreneurship, the internship represented an opportunity to deepen his understanding of the climatetech sector while applying his background in data analytics and business development. This is his second placement through the MassCEC Internship Program. During Summer 2025, he worked at early‑stage startup Dottir Labs at Greentown Labs, where he was immersed in the climatetech startup environment. This experience taught him the fundamentals of growing a business—skills that have proven vital in his current internship.
At Renew Energy Partners, Teja supports initiatives related to customer relationship management and data visualization. His responsibilities include building reporting structures in the company’s CRM platform, using tools such as Power BI and Excel to analyze project pipelines and client trends. He has also been developing an AI-enabled chatbot designed to help standardize proposal documents for business development teams.
“I get to see the different industries our clients come from and understand the financial scope of potential projects,” he said. “It’s been really valuable to experience the financial landscape of climatetech firsthand.”
In addition to technical skill development, Teja has gained exposure to cross-functional collaboration by participating in meetings across engineering and operations teams. This broader perspective has helped him better understand how different business functions contribute to delivering clean energy solutions.
Reflecting on his experience, he encourages future interns to make the most of the limited timeframe. “Internships move quickly,” he noted. “It’s important to maximize exposure, connect with as many people as possible, and take advantage of the learning opportunities available.”
How the Program Makes These Connections Possible
Experiences like Teja’s demonstrate how structured internship programs create mutual benefit. Employers gain immediate support on priority initiatives while interns build practical skills and industry awareness that go on to shape their career trajectories. By facilitating these connections, experiential learning opportunities help strengthen the clean energy workforce pipeline and support organizational growth across the sector.
The MassCEC Internship Program helps connect clean energy employers with emerging talent by offsetting hiring costs and expanding access to hands-on professional experience. For 15 years, the program has supported over 7,000 internship placements across a range of technologies and business functions, contributing to building a more prepared and diverse workforce capable of meeting the Commonwealth’s evolving climate and economic goals.
What Comes Next
As he approaches graduation, Teja plans to continue exploring business development opportunities within the climatetech sector, building on the skills and industry exposure gained through his internships. Renew Energy Partners also intends to remain actively involved in the program, using internships to support evolving project needs while identifying future hires. Teja’s experience at Renew Energy Partners highlights how early-career opportunities can create lasting connections between employers and the next generation of clean energy professionals.
Ready to gain hands-on experience or host an intern? Visit our Clean Energy Internships program page to learn how to participate.