Development and GIS Intern

About Us

Cultivate Power is a distributed solar and storage platform. We develop distributed energy resources that advance productive use of the land and integrate with the community and grid. We believe community generation improves grid resiliency, furthers energy independence, and brings economic benefits to local communities. Our top focus is cultivating land into distributed renewable energy projects.

Our team has a combined 100+ years of experience developing and financing solar, wind, battery storage, and transmission projects, as well as policy and market development across more than 25 states. Before launching Cultivate Power, our team members were central to the growth of a multi-billion dollar solar and storage business, with 23GW of commercialized assets inclusive of an operating fleet of 1.7GW. The Cultivate Power team’s skillset spans project development, project financing, policy, and power marketing from the beginning stages of land development all the way to project construction and operations.

We are a talent centric company that believes deeply in empowering our team members with significant responsibility and creating a culture of inclusivity and diversity. We cultivate our team’s talent, providing each team member with the training, support, and incentives they need to grow and thrive at Cultivate Power.

The Role:

Cultivate Power is seeking a highly motivated Illinois Development & GIS Intern to support the origination and development of community solar projects in Illinois. This role provides the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in project development while applying GIS and data science skills to real-world solar development challenges.

You will support the Illinois development team across two key focus areas:

Origination & Development:

Reviewing prospective project sites, communicating with land agents, coordinating with utilities, running financial models, and assisting with project risk assessments. This portion of the role is designed to expose you to the full development lifecycle and provide practical experience in evaluating solar and storage project opportunities.

GIS & Data Science:

Using GIS and data management/visualization tools to create deliverables necessary for project and market development, including map production, spatial analysis, data editing, digitization, and visualization.

This part-time role will require 15–20 hours of work per week. The position can be remote or in-person in Chicago or Santa Monica. Compensation ranges from $20–$35 per hour, depending on experience.

Location type:

Remote/Hybrid/Onsite in Chicago or Santa Monica

Estimated start date:

ASAP

Estimated end date:

3 months with potential to extend

Reporting to:

Nadeem Demian, IL Origination Lead

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

- Review and evaluate prospective solar project sites using GIS, financial, and qualitative criteria.

- Support communication and coordination with land agents and utilities regarding site opportunities and interconnection.

- Assist in identifying, analyzing, and communicating potential project risks.

- Create GIS deliverables including maps, spatial analysis, data layers, and visualizations.

- Prepare and update marketing materials for landowner outreach, and track the performance of outreach campaigns.

- Contribute to internal presentations and reporting on project opportunities and market trends.

Qualifications/Requirements:

- Must be enrolled in an undergraduate or master’s program pursuing a degree in GIS, data science, geography, environmental science, urban planning, economics, electrical engineering, or related fields.

- 1-2 courses in GIS applications or demonstrated GIS experience required

- Energy, sustainability, economics, or engineering-related coursework is a plus

- Proficiency in using GIS applications such as QGIS, Google Earth, ArcGIS, and/or related web applications.

- Minimum GPA of 3.0.

- Strong written and verbal communication skills.

- Strong work ethic, organization, and ability to self-start in a fast-paced environment.

- Ability to work independently, think analytically, and approach problems in a solutions-oriented way.