Spotlight: RMLD Summer Interns

Northfield

Beginning in June, RMLD welcomed summer interns: Patrick Hurley, Gavin Emenaker, and Caleb Schmidt. The three proved to be valuable members of the RMLD team, and they each completed important projects that will have lasting impact on RMLD’s operations and ongoing decarbonization efforts.

The RMLD summer intern program was restarted for the summer of 2022 after a multiyear hiatus. According to RMLD’s Interim General Manager Greg Phipps, “The intention for RMLD’s summer intern program is to provide a hands-on learning experience during a very exciting time for RMLD and other electric utilities as we work toward a non-carbon future.” The program provided the interns with the opportunity to contribute concrete deliverables and for them to learn valuable professional skills including research, analysis, synthesis, and presentation.

Here’s a little more about the hardworking trio and the impressive work they completed at RMLD:

Patrick Hurley, Lawrence, Merrimack College Class of 2023patrick

Patrick, an electrical engineering major, was tasked with learning about renewable energy storage and generation. His first project was to research the emerging technology of hydrogen energy storage to determine if it was a cost-effective and viable solution for RMLD. Hydrogen has been getting close to commercialization as energy storage and involves power conversion into hydrogen. The process is like battery energy storage in that it works to offset peak electricity demand charges by storing unused energy and deploying it when needed. Thanks to Patrick’s valuable analysis, RMLD can consider this technology in the future.

Patrick’s other main project was to analyze potential sites for solar generation. Patrick extensively researched possible locations and RMLD is meeting with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Protection to discuss next steps on what could be a significant addition of renewable energy generation in RMLD’s service territory. 

 When asked about his favorite part of working at RMLD, he answered “RMLD’s dedication to decarbonization, which is what I am passionate about.”

Gavin Emenaker, Newton, Endicott College Class of 2024gavin

Gavin’s major at Endicott College is Applied Mathematics and Actuarial Science. Gavin’s main project involved the creation of a forecasting tool that predicts customer demand for power supply. Gavin’s effort will help with energy use analysis and will aid in energy efficiency by better understanding RMLD’s power generation and where the power is being used. Thanks to Gavin, RMLD has a more refined data-driven forecast of its electrical load for the remainder of the year.

Gavin also spearheaded a proposal for an RMLD customer app, which will help give customers greater agency over their home energy use. This app is instrumental for RMLD’s vision as the utility of the future.

When asked about his favorite part of the internship, Gavin appreciated that RMLD’s role as a large municipal utility allows it to be innovative while staying connected to the community.  

Caleb Schmidt, Hamilton, Colby College Class of 2024Caleb

Caleb is a government major at Colby College with an interest in policy. Caleb’s main projects at RMLD entailed the economics of two major elements of home electrification: heat pumps and home EV charging stations.

When looking at air source heat pumps, which are electrified and non-carbon emitting all-in-one heating and cooling systems, Caleb analyzed how much the technology will affect the electrical load and the impact it will have on electric bills. Air source heat pump adoption is a critical component of RMLD’s electrification efforts as home heating and cooling contribute to more than 1/3 of residential greenhouse gas emissions. Caleb’s research is critical in helping customers understand the economics of air source heat pump installation and operation.

Caleb also looked at home electric vehicle charging installations and forecasted their impact on home electrical loads. He also analyzed the future market for electric vehicle chargers and identified possible sites for DC Fast Charging Stations within RMLD’s service territory as well as the impact they would have on RMLD’s electrical load. Lastly, he researched the viability of installing EV chargers in local apartment complexes.

Caleb’s favorite part of the experience is how ambitious and open to change RMLD is and he enjoyed the dynamic environment where his suggestions were always heard and considered.

The three unanimously agreed that they had more responsibility than they anticipated at the start of the internship. While they weren’t sure what to expect, they were pleasantly surprised with the high-level and hands-on tasks they were assigned to complete. They were proud of their work at RMLD and got to see first-hand the real world impacts their projects will have toward decarbonization. RMLD’s summer trio brought fresh perspective to the office, and their important contributions have strengthened RMLD’s position as a forward-thinking utility.

RMLD will miss their hard work ethic, camaraderie, and board of fun facts that livened up their office space.

“We hope Patrick, Gavin, and Caleb enjoyed their experience as much as we enjoyed having them at RMLD,” said Phipps. “We also encourage them to share their positive experience with others to help spread the word about the exciting and dynamic world of RMLD and the electric utility industry.”

For more information on RMLD’s summer internship program and open positions, visit www.rmld.com/careers.

Team

RMLD's summer interns with Integrated Resources Analyst Sarah Shenstone-Harris and Interim General Manager Greg Phipps during a tour of the Northfield Mountain Pumped Hydro Storage Station