Invigorated by Invenergy

High above the streets of downtown Chicago, Rose Francis (MEM ‘24) caught a glimpse of her future.

Francis was part of a group of students from Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program who visited the 18th-floor headquarters of Invenergy to learn more about day-to-day life working in renewable energy.

“Invenergy is one of the leaders in the clean-energy space,” Francis said. “Being a mechanical engineer with oil and gas experience who is planning to make a career switch to renewable and clean energy, Invenergy is one of the companies I want to work for.”

Invenergy is North America’s largest privately held renewable power generation company and has developed wind, solar, and natural gas power generation throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

MEM students made the trip to go behind-the-scenes at the clean-energy company and make connections that might help professionally. The visit featured a tour of Invenergy’s 180,000-square-foot headquarters, introductions to some of the company’s human resources personnel, and an overview of career growth possibilities at the company. 

The day also included a panel discussion with recent MEM graduate Sitanshu Goyal (MEM ‘23) and other early-career engineers. Goyal is an assistant project manager at the company.

“The panel discussion gave us clarity about what the company is looking for and how to identify the right roles for you,” Francis said. “I also learned about various interesting projects going on in Invenergy and how each person can use their different skill sets to contribute to the projects.”

Francis spent five years at ExxonMobil before starting in MEM. Since joining the program, she's focused on taking advantage of various opportunities to prepare for the next step in her career. That includes recently partnering with Fermilab – a massive particle physics and accelerator research center – on a project to create off-grid solar-powered fast-charging stations for electric vehicles.

Her interest in Invenergy was initially sparked by company president Jim Murphy, who in 2023 spoke in her NUvention: Energy class. She said visiting the headquarters gave her deeper knowledge about both the company and industry.

“I realized that Invenergy has a diverse portfolio,” she said. “It was interesting to see how they are utilizing various Department of Energy grants and tax credit programs to increase their revenue and run a profitable business despite various uncertainties in the clean energy space.”

The International Energy Agency projects renewables will account for 42 percent of global electric generation by 2028, with wind and solar power making up 25 percent. Francis said seeing a sector leader like Invenergy in person provided insights about how companies are dealing with potential political and financial challenges that could slow the field's growth.

“Invenergy uses the most up-to-date technology in the clean-energy space,” she said. “Continuing to follow Invenergy will help me keep up with the trends in the clean-energy sector.”

Francis also plans to keep in touch with connections she met at the company. That networking opportunity, combined with the educational knowledge she acquired, makes site visits like the one to Invenergy an invaluable experience, she said.

“The visits help us expand our horizons and give clarity about new opportunities,” Francis said. “The Invenergy trip was very helpful for me.”