Internship, Solar Hardware Engineer, Energy Engineering (Winter/Spring 2027)

What to Expect

Consider before submitting an application:

This position is expected to start January 2027 and continue through the entire Winter/Spring term (i.e through April/May 2026) or into Summer 2027 if available. We ask for a minimum of 12 weeks, full-time (40 hours/week) and on-site, for most internships.

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

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 are dedicated to providing 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

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 + 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.

Tesla is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, gender identity or any other factor protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.

Tesla is also committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your recruiter know if you need an accommodation at any point during the interview process.