Internship, Solar Hardware Engineer, Energy Engineering (Fall 2026)

What To Expect
Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start August or September 2026 and continue through fall term (ending approximately December 2026 or later, if available). We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships. Our internship program is for students who are actively enrolled in an academic program. Recent graduates seeking employment after graduation and not returning to school should apply for full-time positions, not internships.

International Students: If your work authorization is through CPT, please consult your school on your ability to work 40 hours per week before applying. You must be able to work 40 hours per week on-site. Many students will be limited to part-time during the academic year.

Internship Program at Tesla

The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We provide an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success.

Within solar hardware engineering, the electrical and optical team designs the core PV cells and modules transforming energy in Tesla’s solar products. We also model system energy yield, validate with field data, and improve our product designs to maximize energy generation. Modeling insights are key part of the product development cycle both to set next generation directions as well as to make the right design tradeoff decisions.

The intern within the Electrical and Optical Design team will advance energy modeling by considering business value metrics, incorporating factors for soiling and loss modeling, validating results against large nation-wide fleet and climate data sets, and generating insights on where product improvements would create the greatest gains.

One of our focus areas is to reduce optical losses associated with soiling. PV panel soiling (accumulation of dust, contaminants, or debris) causes light absorption or scattering leading to power loss. PV performance data from outdoor monitoring systems help estimate soiling losses driven by module specifications, installation configuration and local weather patterns. Modeling these effects is critical to estimating PV module performance and improving energy yield.

Location: Palo Alto, CA

What You'll Do

Assess and implement additional climate factors for better soiling prediction

Analyze large fleet datasets to evaluate model performance

Root cause gaps in model performance (e.g. panel model, climate data, system controls) and prioritize improvements

Collaborate with team members on product improvement field testing and data collection

Model impact of product improvements after analyzing performance data

What You'll Bring

Pursuing a Degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Data Analytics, Computer Science or related field

Coding (especially python) and numerical modeling

Data analysis, visualizing large data sets, image processing

Good understanding of fundamental physics with respect to solar cell operation, light reflection, transmission, absorption, and scattering

Prior laboratory experience with testing and characterization of solar panels

Basic knowledge of environmental monitoring and analysis

Benefits
Compensation and Benefits
As a full-time Tesla Intern, you will be eligible for:

Medical plans > plan options with $0 payroll deduction

Family-building, fertility, adoption and surrogacy benefits

Dental (including orthodontic coverage) and vision plans. Both have an option with a $0 payroll contribution

Company Paid (Health Savings Account) HSA Contribution when enrolled in the High Deductible Medical Plan with HSA

Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)

401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Plans, and other financial benefits

Company Paid Basic Life, AD&D, and short-term disability insurance (90 day waiting period)

Employee Assistance Program

Sick and Vacation time (Flex time for salary positions), and Paid Holidays

Back-up childcare and parenting support resources

Voluntary benefits to include: critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident insurance, theft & legal services, and pet insurance

Commuter benefits

Employee discounts and perks program

Expected Compensation

$20.00 - $50.00/hour + benefits

Pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements dependent on the position offered. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.

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