Renewable Energy Internship: Powering the Future
In 2019, I decided to take a semester off from university to travel, see the world, and work in other countries. During that time, I joined EcoSwell's volunteer program for five weeks as a Renewable Energy intern. I spent my time in Lobitos working with the Renewables team to create a wind turbine to power the local medical post's refrigerators during their blackouts. I never could have imagined the impact this remarkable organization would have on my personal and professional development; I was astounded by how much I learned and experienced.
This past year, as a mechanical engineering undergraduate with two more years until graduation, I searched for various internship positions to fill my time during the summer months. However, I noticed a relative scarcity of internship positions available as compared to previous years due to the impacts of COVID. I reached out to connections I had made in the previous years to ask for advice and consistently heard the same thing: get real, hands-on experience with engineering projects and seek out mentors that you aspire to learn from. With this advice in mind, I began considering another trip to Peru.
“I never could have imagined the impact this remarkable organization would have on my personal and professional development; I was astounded by how much I learned and experienced.”
Returning to EcoSwell
I knew from my last experience with EcoSwell that there were many incredible mentors within the organization, and I would greatly value spending more time with them. I also recognized that I still did not have a clearly defined career path I wanted to pursue once I graduated, though I knew that I wanted to pursue something related to sustainable engineering and clean energy. Luckily, EcoSwell is always working on a multitude of renewable energy projects that interns can contribute to. I recognized that this was an opportunity not only to diversify my resumé, but also to narrow down a more specific career path for myself. With these factors in mind, it made much more sense for me to spend more time with EcoSwell rather than another entry-level position.
When I arrived at the ecohouse as a returning volunteer, I was not only welcomed back with open arms, but I was also granted a leadership role within the Renewable Energy team. Throughout my second experience here, I have been able to take ownership of multiple renewable energy projects simultaneously: the installation of solar panels, the building of multiple wind turbines, and the implementation of low-cost solar distillers. This hands-on exposure to multiple projects in different stages of development has been one of the most valuable experiences I have gained while at EcoSwell. I have seen all parts of the process - from initial design work and proposal writing, through the construction and maintenance of the system, all the way to the final implementation of these systems in the local community.
“This hands-on exposure to multiple projects in different stages of development has been one of the most valuable experiences I have gained while at EcoSwell.”
I’ve learned that it is much easier to have an idea for how to solve a problem than it is to actually implement your solution. In order to help others, you must first learn to ask what would be most helpful to them. EcoSwell does this before starting any of their projects by talking with the general community and community leaders to identify their most pressing concerns, and only then begin to research solutions. Afterward comes the funding for the project, the design work, the building, and finally the exit strategy in which the team transfers the final projects over to the community so that they can use them in their own lives. As an undergraduate student, there are very few environments where I have been able to be an active participant in every step of this process. This experience has proved vital for my understanding of small-scale engineering projects and how they are implemented within communities.
“This experience has proved vital for my understanding of small-scale engineering projects and how they are implemented within communities.”
As I learned more about the area, I quickly recognized that many of the problems facing the citizens of Lobitos are not unique: they are present in many of the other countries I have traveled through. Unreliable electricity, waste management failures, unsustainable deforestation, and unreliable access to clean water plague many communities around the world. My experience with EcoSwell - implementing real solutions on the ground, gaining experience with renewable energy - has given me the knowledge I require so that one day I might be able to address these problems in other areas of the world. Here I have learned the pressing nature of the world's water crisis - some experts project that upwards of 40% of the world population will not have access to clean water by 2030. From working with EcoSwell, I have gained an interest in an area of study that I could dedicate an entire lifetime towards.
“My experience with EcoSwell - implementing real solutions on the ground, gaining experience with renewable energy - has given me the knowledge I require so that one day I might be able to address these problems in other areas of the world.”