Past Intern Projects

• I'm researching the market for ethanol and wind energy in China. The first part of my project looks at current and planned facilities in both sectors, assesses who the major private sector players are, and analyzes how the Renewable Energy Law will affect both sectors in the near future. The second part of my project looks at the feasibility of various potential cellulosic ethanol feedstocks in China, based on availability and price of these feedstocks. - M.M.
• Summarize factors affecting the supply and demand of wind energy. Specifically, the focusing on the following factors: location, technology, economics, investment, federal regulation, state regulations, volatility of fossil fuels, wind turbine manufactures, transmission lines, green consumers, variability of wind, and environmental drawbacks. Conclude with an outlook of the U.S. wind energy industry for the next fifteen years. - C.I.
• Many government agencies, non-government organizations, and private sector consultants have analyzed government interventions in the energy market. In order to provide ACORE members and myself with a breadth of knowledge of this field, I conducted an extensive search into the available literature and composed executive summaries/outlines of the reports. The intention of this project is to allow an interested person to scan the table of contents, locate the articles they are interested in, read the summary to get the basic contents of the report, and then decide whether or not to read the full text document. - K.N.
• An overview as well as a study of the finances and economics of ethanol production in the U.S. Reviewing and summarizing various aspects of the production process of ethanol from corn, combining information from an array of studies to end debates and provide a detailed analysis of the production of ethanol in the states given the historical, current, and possible future economic status. - P.G.
• Project involves researching and collecting information on the intersection of green building and renewable energy through the internet, publications, interviews, and events. Areas of research include, but are not limited to, established green building standards, state and federal incentives for green building, relevant products, and new technologies. – A.K.
• A comparative analysis of how state and national rural electrification policies in China and India incorporate renewable energy technologies. Additionally, an emphasis will be paid to how well these policies assisted in the commercialization of these technologies. – A.B.
• Examine the uses of solar concentrating power and photovoltaics for energy generation in the Southwest of the United States. The research will mainly focus on which technology is better suited for utility sized applications or individual commercial/residential units. – C.M.