Colby | Environmental Studies | Internship Opportunities

Paid Internship with Midnight Oil Company
Newcastle, Maine

Midnight Oil Company is a privately held Fuel Distribution and Service Company located in Newcastle Maine. Beginning in the spring of 2008 we have begun to market Geothermal and solar solutions to our customers as a reasonable alternative to using fossil fuels. We also have built a working “lab” of Geothermal systems that encompass many variables including “open” and “closed” loop wells, and various heat distribution methods (Air, radiant heat). We are considering further advancements in the lab including DX wells. All of this technology is working and in fact heats and cools our facility.

Our objective this winter is to meter our various permutations of Geothermal solutions to demonstrate costs of operation vs. heat production to make a case for our customers to invest in this new technology. To do this we intend to develop scenarios over time and capture kilowatts used vs. heat output, degree days and various other factors. We have made a preliminary selection of a software/hardware tool which we would acquire that would capture and model this data.
Our secondary objective will be to use this data to support financial models to demonstrate the advantage of capital investment (Geothermal Home System) vs. consumption of a post tax commodity (Fossil Fuel).

The appropriate student would have an interest in alternative energy, and a desire to measure practical application of Geothermal Energy in our lab. The student would be expected to build and execute a project plan that includes the following milestones:

1. Select the tools (software and hardware) from a short list and install or assist in the installation of the same.
2. Establish test cases and work with our technicians to set the equipment to run as desired (e.g. A home running radiant heat for 1 month using a heat pump on an “open loop” well).
3. Collect and incorporate other data points (e.g. degree days).
4. Model, test, and report the output.

This program could begin in early September and continue through the winter. Compensation would be negotiated. Hours are flexible so long as they are incorporated into a working project plan. If you are interested, contact <tom@midnightoilmaine.com>

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