EcoSwell

Community Renewable Energy Projects Intern

OPEN TO RETURNING YALE GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL AND RETURNING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

About EcoSwell:

EcoSwell is a surfing inspired sustainable development non-profit organization based in Lobitos, Peru, whose mission is to drive the development of poor Peruvian coastal communities through a path of sustainability, improving the quality of life of their inhabitants. We take a people-centered multi stakeholder approach to development, working together with communities and partners to tackle challenges in the following areas: Renewable Energy, Conservation & Ecosystem Restoration, Water & Sanitation, Public Health and Research.

As part of our Renewable Energy efforts, we have many active projects ranging from Solar Distillers, Improved Cookstoves, Resilient Medical Centres, Residential PV system installations, among others. Our current strategy focuses on three core pillars:

1.     Designing and developing Low cost & High impact renewable energy and energy efficient technologies for community wellbeing

2.     Securing the energy independence and resilience of the communities we work in

3.     Ensuring other project areas of EcoSwell are leveraging renewable energy where and when applicable.

Since EcoSwell was founded in 2013, we have impacted over 95,000 people in over 8 communities through our more than 20 projects that contribute to 10 of the UN’s SDGs. We have over 50 partners ranging from community organizations, prestigious universities/colleges, public sector institutions, value driven companies, and international cooperation agencies. For more information on our work, visit our website or download our Impact Report 2022, updated October 2023.

EcoSwell is committed to equity and inclusion and encourages inquiries and applications from BIPOC and LGBTQ+ individuals, and other people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.

About our Renewable Energy Projects:

As a Renewable Energy Projects Intern at EcoSwell you will have a key role in one or more of our active projects. Some of our projects include (but not limited to):

Resilient Medical Centres - UPS + Solar system installations: After completing a UPS + Solar installation at the Lobitos Medical Post, we have partnered with the Nexans Foundation, Indeco by Nexans and Huemura to provide the Talara Medical Centre with energy resilience through a similar system. The installation of a UPS + Solar system will allow us to safeguard vaccines and other key medications from energy cuts and ensure the continuity of service in the emergency room. EcoSwell aims to continue supporting Medical Centers across Peru with UPS + Solar systems to ensure their resilience and contribute to improving national healthcare. 

Micro-grid installations (medium/long term): We have led the implementation of a 13.04 kWp hybrid micro-grid in the community of Justo Pastor, Nazca, Peru. This community of 40 families had lived off-grid for over 70 years and we were able to give them access to clean electricity through wind and solar energy. This project was done in collaboration with Waira Energia SAC and sponsored by Enel Green Power. EcoSwell aims to continue implementing micro-grid projects for off-grid communities across Peru, contributing to reducing the number of people without access to electricity.

Residential PV system installations: In the effort to continue reducing the number of families without access to electricity, we have started to identify and work with families that are off-grid to design and implement solar PV systems and give them access to energy for the first time. We recently did our first project and installed a 1.5 kWp system for a family of five, giving them access to lighting, power outlets, a refrigerator and TV, greatly increasing their quality of life. We plan to continue helping more families achieve their dream of energy access and independence.

Solar Distiller: Water scarcity is a major issue in the northern coast of Peru. For perspective, in Lobitos, households receive only 6 hours of water per week, and during summer months, the community can be without water for several months. The Solar Distiller replicates the water cycle, evaporating and condensing sea water to produce fresh pure distilled water. Over the years, we have built several prototypes and are close to finding a final, scalable design.

Improved Cookstoves: Unfortunately, in the region there are families that cannot afford gas or electric cookstoves and still cook in open fires with wood collected from the surroundings. The smoke produced from cooking in this way poses a huge health risk for families, especially young children, who in many cases develop respiratory illnesses. Moreover, the low efficiency of an open fire consumes a lot of wood and puts stress on the local ecosystem. We have designed and built cookstove prototypes, and are working on improving efficiencies, before scaling to more families.

The Opportunity:

EcoSwell is an organization that constantly seeks the best global talent to join its multicultural team to tackle real life challenges vulnerable communities in rural Peru face. For this position you would be joining EcoSwell’s Volunteer Internship Program where you will be working alongside other talented students from around the world on high impact renewable energy projects.

You will work closely with EcoSwell’s Director of Renewable Energy, Andres Bustamante, Renewable Energy Supervisor, Hugo Fernandez, and other volunteer interns. The position requires traveling to Lobitos, Peru and staying at the EcoSwell house for the duration of the placement.

The ideal candidate is collaborative, detail-oriented, open to feedback, and thrives working in teams. Experience with Google Drive and Slack and a background in community development fields is ideal. Ability to collaborate with a diverse set of community partners and stakeholders is important. Spanish language capabilities preferred, but not required.

Important information of the position:

  • This position will include several onsite weeks (in person) in Lobitos, Peru at the EcoSwell House
  • EcoSwell will assist with travel information and will coordinate pickup and drop-off to airport in Peru.
  • CBEY will include a few weeks (exact duration to be determined) of the financial contribution that is required for the onsite portion of this position as part of EcoSwell’s Volunteer Internship Program. The contribution includes housing, food, local transport, and project materials for the duration of the placement. It also helps fund the implementation of renewable energy projects in the communities we support.

How to apply:

FIRST:

Complete an EcoSwell online application form for the Renewable Energy Program, using this LINK. Please remember to state in additional comments that you belong to the “Yale Planetary Solutions Internship Program in Clean Energy” so that your application may be processed in the right way.

Note that additional documents will not be reviewed.

SECOND:
  • Please submit to CBEY:
    • your resume
    • a short cover letter (no more than 2 pages) to include:
    • your interest in this project
    • any relevant background/experience
    • why you believe this work is important
    • share any important identity or identities you hold. Note that this is completely optional. Examples of identities that may be important to you might include (but are not limited to): gender, race, ethnicity, political affiliation, generation, education level, cultural identity, occupation, sexuality, family structure, housing status, mental health (health status/ability), incarceration status, institution affiliation, primary language, religion, immigration status, medical history, first-generation, income/ socio-economic class, quality of education, occupation, and/or parent's education.
  • Send the above to cbey@yale.edu with a copy to info@ecoswell.org using the subject line "Yale Planetary Solutions Internship Program in Clean Energy/EcoSwell". In this email, please mention that you have applied using the online application and are following up with the information for CBEY as indicated in the application instructions.
 

Application deadline is 11:59 PM ET on February 19th, 2024