General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
2025-38605
Description de l'unité
The CEA's Institute for Research and Studies in Energy Economics aims to develop a systemic vision of the energy transition towards carbon neutrality. Its work focuses on low-carbon energy production and storage technologies, the availability of the resources needed to implement these technologies, regulation, market design, and changes in energy demand and consumption patterns. With a staff of around 40 people in Saclay and Grenoble, I-Tésé collaborates with other CEA institutes and with partners in France and abroad.
Position description
Category
Mathematics, information, scientific, software
Contract
Internship
Job title
Econometric Assessment of Renewables' Cross-Border and Market Impacts in European Electricity System H/F
Subject
The massive development of renewables is profoundly transforming European electricity systems. Wind and solar growth shift marginal technologies, modifying the carbon footprint of the electricity sector. Renewable's deployment also results in lower electricity prices -the merit order effect- with more and more common negative price episodes aggravated by multiple factors such as regulation and limited flexibility.
Contract duration (months)
6
Job description
The intern will conduct a robust empirical analysis of these dynamics through two complementary tasks, building on existing work by extending existing datasets and econometric models.
Task 1: Carbon Impacts – Role of Cross-Border Trade
The intern will analyze how foreign renewables' affects marginal emissions in France, especially via imports/exports. He or she will collect data from different sources (ENSTOE, IEA, etc) about power plants emissions and efficiency in France and its interconnected neighbors to build an hourly power emissions series. This data will be merged to an existing dataset at I-Tésé to estimate the marginal emission factor (MEF) of cross-border trade. The results with be compared with those obtained in other European countries.
Task 2: Market Impacts – Negative Price Episodes
The intern will take a first step toward understanding negative price episodes in France using an existing database at I-Tésé to characterize their typology. He or she will examine how different key regulations aggravate these episodes. If time allows, the intern will conduct estimations to quantify key drivers.
Methods / Means
Rstudio
Applicant Profile
- M2 in applied economics with an interest in environmental or energy economics.
- Proficiency in econometric modelling (causal inference, time series, etc) and quantitative tools (Rstudio).
- Excellent English level.
- Good writing skills.
Position location
Site
Saclay
Job location
France
Location
Saclay
Candidate criteria
Languages
- French (Fluent)
- English (Fluent)
Prepared diploma
Bac+5 - Master 2
Recommended training
Applied economics, environmental and/or energy economics
PhD opportunity
Non
Requester
Position start date
01/04/2026
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