BEFORE STARTING YOUR APPLICATION, YOU NEED:

Current Resume or Professional Vitae
Transcript (Official or Unofficial) - Documentation of your participation in your academic or training program
Essay (see webpage for prompt)
One Letter of Recommendation

All documents are required to be considered for the Renewable Energy Fellowship.

Please review the benefits and program details of the Renewable Energy Fellowship here.

Renewable Energy Fellowship Eligibility Requirements:

The Renewable Energy Fellowship is available to anyone meeting all of these requirements:

Aged 18 or older,
Currently enrolled as a student OR a recent graduate of a US college, university, or technical certificate program (including graduate degree programs and installer training programs), and is not yet working full time in the industry,
Must be located in the United States at the time of the fellowship,
Must be planning to pursue a renewable energy career in the United States.

Fellowship applicants may be interested in any sector of renewable energy, including academic, manufacturing, technical, consulting, engineering, finance, and more.

NOTE: Current GRID Alternatives SolarCorps Fellows are not eligible for this fellowship.

Schedule of Renewable Energy Fellowship Cohort

The Renewable Energy Fellowship will take place over the course of roughly six weeks (October - mid-November). Please be aware of required fellowship meetings and the in-person RE+ conference dates before you apply:

June 22nd, 2026: Applications open
August 2026: Applications are reviewed and finalist interviews
September 2026: Winners are notified
October 2026: Weekly virtual prep meetings
November 16 - 19, 2026: RE+ Conference, Las Vegas, NV (in-person)
First week of December: final close out/Fellowship debrief

Do you have any other commitments (academic, professional, personal) that may affect your availability for the fellowship?

Yes, I have other commitments that may affect my availability these day(s).No, I will be available these dates.

If yes, please describe your commitments and impacts on availability during the dates listed above.

Confirm Fellowship Eligibility

I have read the eligibility requirements for the Renewable Energy Fellowship. By checking this box, I confirm my eligibility.

*If at any point after you have submitted your application, you realize that you can no longer participate in the fellowship, please email us at fellowships@wrisenergy.org to let us know ASAP.

Page 2

First Name

Last Name

Email (personal rather than school email preferred)

Alternate Email

Phone

Address Line 1

Address Line 2

City

State

Zip Code

School/Training Program (Currently attending or most recently attended)

Highest level of education completed

Major or Program Focus

Graduation Date / Expected Graduation Date

Are you currently employed?

YesNo

Employer

Position Title/Role

Please provide a link to your LinkedIn profile

Essay Question

Please upload an essay describing why you are interested in the Fellowship, highlighting your academic and work history, experience with renewable energy, career goal(s), and how the Fellowship will benefit you, your community, campus, and/or organization.

750 words maximum. Essays may be checked for AI.

Application Documentation (all documents MUST be submitted as a PDF)

Note: if you have questions about what qualifies as documentation, please email fellowships@wrisenergy.org

Current resume or professional vitae (upload as a PDF)

Transcript (official or unofficial) or other documentation of your participation in your school or training program - participation certificate, etc. Upload as a PDF.

One Letter of Recommendation. Upload as a PDF

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

If you aren’t comfortable answering these questions, simply leave the fields blank. Declining to answer any of these questions will not impact your selection.

Gender Identity

Racial Identity:

Pronouns

Do you have any accessibility needs you'd like to share with us?

Please share any additional information you'd like us to know here:

Application Review & Next Steps

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Demonstrated interest in renewable energy;
Academic and/or vocational achievement;
Work and Volunteer Experience;
Potential for future contributions to the U.S. Renewable Energy Community;
Financial need

Next Steps:

Applications close July 10, 2026 (unless extended)
Selection Committee reviews applications.
Selection Committee schedules interviews with second round candidates.
Selection Committee makes final decisions and notifies candidates.

All candidates will be responded to by September 11, 2026.

2026 Renewable Energy Fellowship Application