Understanding the Fundamentals of Energy Trading — and Beyond

Chester White has shared his experience in the energy sector with MSES students, both in the classroom and as a career coach.

In 2002, Chester White was introduced to the energy sector when he became a real-time energy trader at Reliant Energy. Since then, he's spent more than two decades focused on energy trading, power market operations, and revenue generation.

Today, White is vice president of asset management and operations at Reactivate, a company that develops, owns, and operates renewable energy solutions to improve low-to-moderate income and energy-transition communities across the country. In that capacity, he manages every aspect of the company's portfolio. The company launched seven community solar projects in Illinois and New York in 2024 that will help approximately 5,000 households, as well as non-profit organizations, businesses, and a public school district.

Reactivate was founded by Invenergery, a Chicago-headquartered global developer and operator of sustainable energy solutions.

"My scope at Reactivate is much wider than my past jobs, which presents the opportunity to apply my knowledge and skills to other areas of business disciplines," White said. "Ultimately, my team is responsible for capturing and preserving revenue, oversight of the project financials, operations, and compliance requirements."

White shares this knowledge and experience with students in Northwestern's Master of Science in Energy and Sustainability (MSES) program. MSES is jointly offered by Northwestern Engineering and the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.

From 2021-2024, White taught Fundamentals of Energy Trading and Risk Management, a course that explores strategies firms and investors use in physical and paper trading markets. The course aims to help MSES students understand determinants of supply and demand, derivatives and derivatives pricing, and risk management techniques.

This year, White is a career coach for the MSES program. Career coaches are experts in their field who work with a select number of current students to offer guidance and advice about their job search and professional interests. Career coaches are a part of the suite of customized career support resources that all MSES students receive during their tenure in the program.

White previously helped mentor students on an ad hoc basis and is excited to continue offering guidance and instruction in a more structured role.

"Being a career coach entails active listening about students’ experiences, an understanding of where they’d like to be professionally, and working through the distance between," he said. "It entails providing professional guidance and access to a vast network of professionals."

White is looking forward to sharing his network with MSES students. He also is excited to help students grow and progress on their professional paths, he said.

"MSES prepares students to accelerate their career path in energy and sustainability by providing exposure to critical areas, talents, networks and resources of this industry," he said. "MSES students are intelligent, driven, collaborative, and deeply interested in making an impact in energy and sustainability."