Industries worldwide – from flower growers to textile manufacturers – need energy for their manufacturing operations. As energy prices rise and the supply of predominantly fossil fuel-based energy sources becomes increasingly unstable, the appeal of captive renewable energy solutions grows.

Coordinated and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), the German Energy Solutions Initiative promotes the global dissemination of technologies and expertise in climate-friendly energy. Decades of support for sustainable energy innovations have established a successful German industry known for its top-tier technologies. The initiative is based on continuous collaboration with the German business sector.

As part of this initiative, the Project Development Programme (PDP), implemented by GIZ, operates at the intersection of development cooperation and private-sector engagement at the local level. The PDP team works with local commercial and industrial companies in selected developing countries to pre-develop climate-friendly energy projects. The focus is on photovoltaic, battery storage, energy efficiency, process heat, and green hydrogen. It provides free and neutral advice to local companies, facilitates connections with solution providers registered under the German Energy Solutions Initiative, and promotes market development through trainings, studies, and reference projects. Thus, the project contributes to economic development as well as global economic relations and contribute to climate change mitigation.

During the internship, you will support the project team in the preparation of measures in the partner countries with both organisational and content-related issues.
The range of tasks includes:

• Extract and analyze measured or recorded energy consumption data (e. g., load profiles) from online portals and conduct quality checks on the data
• Extrapolate future energy consumption profiles based on available measured or recorded weekly, monthly, and annual data
• Prepare load profiles by modeling energy consumption from key equipment and their operational patterns over daily, weekly, and monthly cycles
• Conduct simulations of simple energy systems, including grid-connected setups, PV systems, generators, and battery storage solutions, to support system optimization
• Assist with technical data validation for renewable technologies, such as solar PV (with and without storage), wind energy, energy efficiency measures, process heat, and green hydrogen
• Support project development activities in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, including preparing tender documents, evaluating offers, and assisting with deal closure activities
• Perform research on renewable energy topics and develop country-specific profiles to aid in project planning and decision-making
• Provide general support for project management tasks across various phases of project implementation
• Assist in managing content on web-based platforms for training and project development purposes

• You are currently studying in the field of natural science, engineering or economics and have gained initial experience in the field of renewable energies and/or energy efficiency
• Possess a good overview and technical knowledge of the different renewable energy technologies (especially solar photovoltaics, Power-to-x, storage, heat, energy efficiency etc.) and the associated business models; familiar with different political approaches to promote renewable energies
• Knowledge in the fields of energy efficiency, decentralised electrification and industrial self-consumption is desirable; as the project works closely with German renewable energy and energy efficiency companies and the relevant industry associations, knowledge of the industry structures is an advantage
• Previous knowledge in the use of simulation software for renewable systems, especially PV(-hybrid) such as HOMER, Aurora solar and/or PVSyst is desirable
• Very good Microsoft 365 skills (Teams, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote)
• Prior experience in the field of financial modelling of renewable energy projects is an advantage
• Very good English skills (language level C1) are necessary for internal and external communication; knowledge of German and French at language level C1 is an advantage

GIZ is a signatory of the Diversity Charter. Recognition, appreciation and inclusion of diversity in the company are important to us. All employees shall be valued – regardless of gender and gender identity, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, social background, age or sexual orientation.

Please be informed that you are only allowed to apply for this internship, if you are currently enrolled as a student or graduated not longer than six months ago from the start of your internship.

We pay a monthly stipend of €2.205,04 (gross).

We support equal opportunities and welcome applications from people with disabilities.

For further information, please contact Mr Ramses Bermudez (ramses.bermudez@giz.de) or Mr Benjamin Struß (benjamin.struss @giz.de).