Lily Chung ’26: Longroad Energy

337 megawatts of energy is enough to power 120,000 American homes and avoid 625,000 metric tons of CO₂ emissions annually. This enormous amount of energy accounts for only one project in Longroad Energy’s portfolio, which spans across the country from Maine to Arizona to Hawaii. At my summer internship with Longroad Energy, a renewable energy developer, I had the opportunity to dive headfirst into the renewable energy world. I have always been fascinated by solar panels, wondering how they are able to harness energy from the sun and convert it into usable electricity. Unbeknownst to me, however, beyond the intricacies of the solar panels themselves, there lies a long chain of people working together to get these solar panel systems to their final operating state.

On the first day of my internship, after riding the commuter rail to South Station, I walked towards 125 High Street Tower to meet my supervisor, Pete Keel, CFO and co-founder of Longroad. We rode the elevator up to the 17th floor of the tower, where Longroad’s Boston office is located. With it being my first time in an office environment, I was struck by the focus and cohesion of the Boston office employees as they worked on spreadsheets and contracts, or dialed in to Microsoft Teams meetings to discuss projects. It became clear to me very quickly that Longroad was a well-oiled machine, and the teamwork of its employees is what makes its complicated, multi-year process of developing large solar projects possible.

Over the course of my internship, I spent my time working on two major projects. The first project was creating and organizing spreadsheets in Excel for the 2026 budgets of some of Longroad's newer projects. Through this process, I honed my skills in Excel and learned the budget structure of a solar project, which tracks the power generation of systems, operation and maintenance costs, and overall cash flow of the system. I was also able to sit in on meetings with the finance team in order to learn more about the projects and their work as a whole. In these meetings, I gained a basic understanding of financial models and also learned from how the team communicated and worked together on projects. 

The main project I spent my time on was researching the opportunity for a solar project at Rivers. I spent my first two weeks learning about the solar industry and the science behind how solar panels work. I researched tax incentives on the federal and state levels and learned about the different options for financing a solar project, including direct ownership, power purchase agreements, and leasing. After gaining a solid grasp on the industry, I reached out to Rivers to propose the project. I met with Mr. Bourdeau, Rivers' director of operations, and then continued my research by reaching out to local solar installers in the area for quotes. Next, I created my own financial model in Excel to outline what a solar installation on Rivers’ MacDowell roof would look like.

Estimated financial model for solar installation on MacDowell

I calculated the system size using the square footage of the roof and estimated panel size, and then used an online solar calculator to estimate how much power the system would generate. Lastly, I calculated an estimated cash flow of the system to determine if this project would be a good investment for the school. At the time of writing, I am waiting to hear back from the local solar installer for a proposal, which will determine the viability of the project. In the meantime, I am organizing my research and solar proposal into a presentation, which I will present to the school in the coming weeks after my internship is over.

Overview of Potential Solar Installation at Rivers

In addition to the productive atmosphere of the office, Longroad prioritized community and fun for its employees as well. During my internship, I had the opportunity to travel to Maine for the day to participate in Longroad’s annual softball championship: Boston office vs. Maine office. I was not surprised to find that Longroad’s Maine office was just as friendly and welcoming to me as Boston’s (despite the serious softball rivalry at hand). Before the game, I enjoyed the cookout and music, meeting new people who traveled from as far as California for the event. After a leisurely lunch, the Boston office snapped into game-mode and secured the championship win, earning a large trophy to take home to Boston.

Longroad Softball Championship in Maine

In addition to the softball outing, Pete was generous enough to give me the full Longroad experience before my internship came to a close. During my last week, Pete took me to visit a new solar project in Southbridge, MA. Upon arriving at the site, I was struck by the size of the panels, which were massive compared to the residential ones I am familiar with. The developers of the project gave us a tour of the site and explained to me various aspects of the site, including the battery storage system and the way in which the system interconnects to the electrical grid.

Site visit in Southbridge, MA

Seeing the Southbridge solar project in person brought to life the work that I had been doing for the past six weeks. Standing in front of the panels, I thought about all the various steps that went into creating the project: identifying a site, tackling permits and legal work, creating financial models, building the system, and the list goes on. Now, as I drive by solar and wind systems on the highway, I have a much greater appreciation for the years-long process of making the project a reality. I am so grateful for my experience at Longroad this summer, learning not only the technical skills like Excel, but also the work that goes on behind the scenes of Longroad’s projects. My brief time at Longroad has shown me what it’s like to work in a well-run business that truly exemplifies its values of honesty and excellence. Thank you so much to Pete Keel and Mr. Schlenker for this amazing opportunity!