The 2024 Fall FELLOWSHIP

National PT/MT National CT ♦ National ET1 ♦ National ET2

Please note that applications for the 2024 Fall Fellowship are now CLOSED. The Fellowship runs Saturday, August 3, 2024 and run through December 6, 2024.
Please continue to scroll further down for details on the exact dates of Fellowship meetings, Fellowship requirements, and other information.

CELI’s 4-month fellowship program for working professionals consists of weekly programming on energy literacy topics, Saturday sessions that go deeper on leadership skills, and preparation for a capstone project. Sessions are led by thought leaders and expert practitioners in the field or include uniquely curated activities for fellows to dive deeper into the curriculum. Fellows are challenged to think critically about current energy policy and market structures, examine existing and historical inequities, identify barriers to clean energy deployment and innovation, and develop holistic solutions towards an equitable energy transition.

For questions about a 2025 fellowship, please email celi@cleanenergyleaders.org.


The 2024 Fall FELLOWSHIP CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

Over the course of the Fellowship, CELI Fellows will explore adaptive leadership, clean energy technology, policy, finance, and be challenged to look critically at inequities and power dynamics in clean energy systems. Fellows will practice their skills in public speaking, persuasive writing, and business pitching, as they prepare to deliver a capstone project via one of these methods. Most importantly, Fellows will be introduced to approximately 50 peer cohort participants, who will become a vital community of practice -- we hope, for life.

The program includes:

  • A Saturday opening orientation where Fellows will virtually gather for two hours to connect with their cohorts, be introduced to the CELI leadership team and staff, review requirements and expectations for the program, and engage in a high-level discussion of current climate challenges. 

  • Educational modules with weekly virtual sessions consisting of a mixture of readings, lectures with expert practitioners, panel discussions with leaders in the field, hands-on activities, and small group discussions to build knowledge, community, and connection among Fellows. Module topics include energy markets, new technologies, deep decarbonization, policy and civic action, and an introduction to energy justice topics.

  • Leadership development workshops introduce Fellows to an adaptive leadership framework creating space to reflect on purpose and role in the energy transition.

  • Saturday sessions will focus on community building, energy justice deep dives, sustainable infrastructure finance and capital markets, and leadership development.

  • Capstone Projects build public speaking, writing, and pitching skills. Fellows will be assigned Peer Pods to support the design and delivery of their capstone projects.

  • Community Programming as casual, optional activities open to the Fellows, as well as alumni and community members. 

Additional Program Requirements:

  1. For graduation, the fellows are required to develop and submit a Capstone Project that hones their skills as a clean energy leader. Fellows can choose from the following Capstone projects:

  • Opinion piece: A 600 to 800-word thought piece on a clean energy topic of choice. Fellows will receive guidance and edits from an assigned peer group, as well as assistance on pitching their blogs to industry publications. All opinion pieces will be published on CELI’s Medium page, and highlighted in our monthly newsletter reaching 6,000+ unique readers.

  • Business Pitch: Fellows will have 5 minutes to propose a new clean energy business or non-profit to receive feedback from a panel of judges, CELI alumni, and peers. 

  • TED-Style Presentation: Fellows will have 7 minutes to take the stage and present on a clean energy topic of their choice to CELI alumni and peers. 

2. The virtual weekday 2024 Fall Fellowship sessions will take place on Wednesday evenings, unless scheduled otherwise with advance notice. *CELI city clusters will meet in-person.

  • National PT/MT: Wednesday evenings 6:00-8:00pm PT // 7:00-9:00pm MT

  • National CT: Wednesday evenings 6:00-8:00pm CT 

  • National ET: Wednesday evenings 6:00-8:00pm ET

3. Weekend 2024 Fall Fellowship sessions will take place over three Saturdays and one Sunday:*

  • [Required] Saturday, August 3 - Orientation

  • [Required] Saturday, September 7 and Sunday, September 8 (only for National ET cohorts*) - Energy Justice, Introduction to Capstones and Adaptive Leadership

  • [Required] Saturday, September 14 and Sunday, September 15 (only for National PT/MT and National CT cohorts*) - Energy Justice, Introduction to Capstones and Adaptive Leadership 

  • [Optional] Saturday, October 26 - Sustainable Infrastructure Finance and Capital Markets


CURRICULUM AT-A-GLANCE

*Please note that all cohorts will meet online weekly on Wednesday evenings from 6-8pm local time with the exception of those in MT time zone who will meet from 7PM-9PM MT. Additionally, fellows will have the option to meet online for optional Tuesday sessions taking place on select Tuesday evenings from 6-7pm ET for the National ET cohorts, and from 5-6pm PT; 6-7pm MT; 7-8pm CT; for the National CT and National PT/MT cohorts.

Session 1 - Orientation: Saturday, August 3
(*hold 10am-12pm ET, 10am-12pm PT, 11am-1pm MT, 12-2pm CT)

  • Introduction to CELI Staff and CELI Cohort Leadership Teams
    CELI vision: fellowship, requirements, and policies

  • Keynote guest speaker and meet the rest of your cohort

Module 1: Energy Markets

  • Session 2 (Wednesday, August 7) - Utility model and electricity markets (wholesale, retail, capacity, auxiliary services) (guest speaker)

  • Optional Session 3 (Tuesday, August 13) - Energy Fundamentals 

  • Session 4 (Wednesday, August 14) - Utility model and electricity markets (wholesale, retail, capacity, auxiliary services) (activity) 

  • Optional Session 5 (Tuesday, August 20) - Equitable rate design (guest speaker)

  • Session 6 (Wednesday, August 21) - Equitable rate design (activity) 

(Wednesday, August 28) - No Session

Session 7 (Wednesday, September 4) - Capstone Skills Workshop (all cohorts)
(*hold 7-9pm ET, 6-8pm CT, 5-7pm MT, 4-6pm PT)

Required Weekend Sessions 8 & 9 - Energy Justice, Introduction to Capstone Projects, Adaptive Leadership Training

National ET Cohorts: 

  • Saturday, September 7: 9am-12pm ET

  • Sunday, September 8: 10am-1pm ET

National PT/MT and National CT Cohorts: 

  • Saturday, September 14: 9am-12pm PT, 10am-1pm MT, 11am-2pm CT 

  • Sunday, September 15: 10am-1pm PT, 11am-2pm MT, 12-3pm CT

Module 2: New Technologies

  • Session 10 (Wednesday, September 11) - Energy storage and grid modernization

  • Session 11 (Wednesday, September 18) - Next generation technology

Due Date (Monday, September 23) Capstone Topic & Format Submission Due

Session 12 (Wednesday, September 25) - Energy Resilience (all cohorts)
(*hold 7-9pm ET, 6-8pm CT, 5-7pm MT, 4-6pm PT)

Module 3: Deep Decarbonization

  • Optional Session 13 (Tuesday, October 1) - Decarbonizing transportation (guest speaker)

  • Session 14 (Wednesday, October 2) - Decarbonizing transportation (activity)

  • Session 15 (Wednesday, October 9) - Energy efficiency in buildings 

  • Session 16 (Wednesday, October 16) - Industrial decarbonization 

(Wednesday, October 23) - No Session 

Optional Weekend Session 17 (Saturday, October 26) -  Workshops: Finance  
(*hold 12:30-4:30pm ET, 11:30am-3:30pm CT, 10:30am-2:30pm MT, 9:30am-1:30pm PT)

Module 4: Policy and Civic Action

  • Optional Session 18 (Tuesday, October 29) - Federal policy and just transition (guest speaker) 

  • Session 19 (Wednesday, October 30) - Federal policy and just transition (activity)

  • Session 20 (Wednesday, November 6) - State policy, equity, and access

  • Session 21 (Wednesday, November 13) - Local Action

(Wednesday, November 20) - Capstone Projects Due (No Session)

(Wednesday, November 27) - Holiday break (No Session)

Session 22  (Tuesday, December 3) - Capstone Night 1 - Business Pitches

Session 23 (Wednesday, December 4) - Capstone Night 2 - Ted-Style Talks

[Clusters may be asked to hold December 6, 2024 for a potential in-person social.]

All Fellows will be required to submit their selected capstone topic by September 23, 2024 for their capstone project (which are due November 20, 2024), as well as select their desired format (writing a short-form opinion piece, preparing a Ted-style talk or public-speaking presentation, and/or defining a business idea and business pitch).

For more information, check out our:

Email celi@cleanenergyleaders.org with any questions.