It is wild to think that a week here in Prague has already gone by, as it has easily been one of the most eventful weeks of my life. From starting the week with an Old Town walking tour, to ending the week with a gloomy, but gorgeous trip to Kutná Hora, it has been nothing but sights to see. It has been consistent WhatsApp spam to my family group chat and brother Jack, who works as an architect in the United States, and has completely changed how I have been able to look at the city of Prague. I like to make points of the architectural genius that exists in each and every one of the churches, as well as the everyday difference in styles in residential or commercial buildings.
Talking about the architecture of the city, there is one thing that my brother’s eye for design and my own desire to see absolutely everything I possibly can has led me to, which is that 14th-century Prague had a serious obsession with a certain fellow (Charles IV). Coming from Pittsburgh, I’m a huge fan of bridges and all of the different design that goes into them, so seeing Charles Bridge yesterday was surreal. It is genuinely like stepping into a blueprint of Gothic perfection, and I know someone like my brother could sit there for hours analyzing every little detail. Moving on from there, you see Charles Square, which is one of the largest town squares in the world. It is safe to say he was a HUGE fan of grandeur, which moving on, is showcased in the towering walls of St. Vitus Cathedral or even just the layout of New Town and the entirety of the Prague Castle complex.
To kick things off this Monday, the industry I am stepping into is the renewable energy and green technology sector, but specifically on a large, utility-scale level at Lucent Renewables. They work as an independent developer of utility-scale solar PV (photovoltaic) and battery storage (BESS) assets across Europe and a few other select international markets. Their focus lies on finding, planning, and scaling up massive clean energy solutions to help the world move away from fossil fuels. I believe it will be an incredibly eye-opening experience to see how a company is able to manage a massive 2.5 GW pipeline of energy projects while consistently maintaining over 400 landowner partnerships. Lucent handles the entire development lifecycle from scratch, which means they deal with everything from the initial origination and land permitting, all the way through to construction, grid connection, and long-term asset management.
Due to Lucent handling such a massive, start-to-finish lifecycle, I can already tell that there will be a diverse plethora of key skills and strengths that will be necessary for a successful experience. On one hand, project management and analytical skills will be invaluable in order to understand the logistics behind such a massive pipeline. This means that success will involve being able to look at complex environmental data, shifting grid codes, and different, strict permitting processes without dropping the ball. On the other hand, a huge strength needed here will be relationship-building and communication, which I feel goes for anyone participating in this type of experience. Firstly, I will be meeting my coworkers for the first time in person and immediately getting into projects, which will have its difficulties that I will need to navigate. Moreover, Lucent’s scale of partnerships with landowners will require trust, negotiation skills, and the ability to explain the complexities of energy infrastructure to everyday people and investors. Due to the green tech and energy markets consistently changing, I think there will also be a ton of adaptability that is required throughout the internship process.
Specifically here in the Czech Republic, I believe there is a whole new layer of complexity that I will have to adjust to. Working in Europe, Lucent is deeply tied into European Union climate goals, regional cross-border grids, and strict environmental policies. Additionally, the local Czech culture is highly valued for being direct, precise, and very data-driven. Coming from the US, I have already noticed a new bluntness and less fluff or ‘beating around the bush,’ which will definitely take some time to get used to in the workplace. Specifically to Lucent, the precise mindset is an absolute necessity for making sure their massive projects actually can translate to have a positive impact on the world, and I can’t wait to experience it firsthand starting tomorrow!
Ahoj!
