Starting a Career in Electric Vehicle Policy: My Journey from EESI | Article

My internship with the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) was my first internship out of graduate school within the environmental and energy policy field. I had taken a risk and moved to Washington, D.C., without a job in hand, so I was nervous about finding the right opportunity where I could demonstrate my abilities and find work I was passionate about. I knew no one in this field, had limited professional experience, and so I was hoping someone would take a chance on me.

Hamilton Steimer

Thankfully, EESI offered me a spot as an Access Clean Energy Savings intern, focusing on on-bill financing—an equitable financing mechanism—and beneficial electrification, which is an electrification strategy designed to reduce customers’ energy bills and help them decarbonize.

As the country transitions to clean energy, policymakers need to ensure both that disadvantaged communities are not left behind and that the energy grid is resilient. On-bill financing and beneficial electrification are such important initiatives because they balance the needs of the environment, the energy grid, and consumers. I believe these strategies represent a common ground between Republicans and Democrats, and I really enjoyed writing and learning about them.

EESI is a small nonprofit in D.C., but it definitely punches above its weight in the scope and quality of its work. From working with utilities on establishing financing programs to connecting with communities on climate adaptation, EESI is raising awareness about some of the most important issues impacting people and the planet. My internship experience with EESI was more than I could have asked for, and it really helped me believe in myself and my career decisions. Interns have the opportunity to work closely with staff on projects, webinars, and other events, and the staff form strong relationships with you and share advice as you begin your career. As my first working experience in D.C., I am extremely grateful to have worked with an organization like EESI.

My work with EESI greatly strengthened my writing skills and helped me think about energy issues more critically. After my internship, I wanted to keep writing about these topics, so I created my own educational website called Greener Future America. This website focuses on climate change, clean energy, and policy topics, and it includes different types of resources such as news, recent publications, simulation tools, and my bi-weekly blog. I hope that website visitors and readers will understand more deeply how the energy grid works and the innovative solutions that can improve our planet.

Most recently, I started a new position as a Research Analyst with the World Resources Institute (WRI), working on vehicle-to-grid integration and other electric mobility topics. My team partners with local and foreign governments to advance electric mobility research and identify best practices to decarbonize the transportation sector. Currently, I am researching zero-emission delivery zones and efforts to fulfill the potential of V2X (vehicle-to-everything) technology, which enables vehicles to communicate with the world around them. At the nexus of energy and transportation, two of the fastest-evolving fields, my WRI position is the perfect fit for me as I figure out how I can contribute to achieving a just and sustainable future.

Reflecting back on my EESI internship, I am so grateful for the opportunities it gave me to learn about pressing energy issues and to write about the latest policy developments. The success of the internship helped me find my voice as a young energy policy professional, and it helped me believe in my ability to succeed within this competitive environment. For anyone looking for a rigorous, exciting introduction to the energy and environmental fields, I highly recommend that they consider working with EESI.

Author: Hamilton Steimer