Jon Wellinghoff is the Chief Regulatory Officer of Voltus, the world’s leading platform for Distributed Energy Resources (DER). As CRO, Jon is responsible for the development of company regulatory strategy at federal, state, and local levels and working with industry and stakeholder partners to grow the use of DER.

Jon is also Chief Executive Officer and Founder of GridPolicy, dedicated to furthering the deployment of and investment in clean sustainable DERs and efficient Grid Enhancing Technologies (GET). The company focuses on energy policy and strategic planning for clients ranging from multinational utilities to start-up clean energy innovators. In this role, Jon consults with business, government, and regulatory policy leaders in the US, Asia, Canada, Australia, and Europe. He has represented clients in energy storage, wind energy development, advanced transmission technology, wholesale energy market innovation, demand response, solar PV, and distributed grid sensing technology.

From 2006-2013 Jon was a Commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and served as Chairman from 2009-2013.

Hailed as one of the nation’s most influential voices on energy policy, Jon is an internationally recognized energy expert known for his forward-thinking approach to energy policy and his track record of moving the needle on the clean energy revolution. In 2016 he was named one of the top ten most influential people in the energy industry since 1990 by Public Utilities Fortnightly, the Energy Industry Journal. He regularly shares his expertise in leading media outlets and programs, including 60 Minutes on CBS and NPR.

Exclusively represented by Leading Authorities speakers bureau, Jon draws on his decades of experience in energy, policy, and business to discuss future opportunities in the fields of wind power, solar power, electric cars, and the development of smart cities, as well as implementing innovative business strategies and corporate cultures. His presentations reveal the promises and pitfalls of advanced energy technology coupled with eye-opening visuals and can’t-miss insights.

FERC Expertise. The longest serving chair in FERC history, Jon was instrumental in instituting visionary policies that opened the electric markets to competitive energy technologies including rooftop solar and electric vehicles. As a result, he has come to represent a monumental shift in energy policy and was dubbed a “new breed” of chairman by the Washington Post. During his tenure, he advocated for building a stronger national power grid through the use of renewable energies like wind and solar power, working to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy. He also backed the growth of U.S. all-electric vehicles and the creation of a national “smart grid” power source. He worked to make the U.S. power grid cleaner and more efficient, and championed the agency’s landmark Order 1000, which required grid planners and public utilities to coordinate regional power line projects and encouraged the integration of solar and wind installations.

As chairman, he also created FERC’s Office of Energy Policy and Innovation, which is responsible for investigating and promoting new efficient technologies and practices, and oversaw development of the National Assessment of Demand Response Potential and the National Action Plan for Demand Response. He also established three top priorities: the integration of renewable energy sources into the electric grid; the implementation of advanced technologies that make energy use and distribution more efficient; and the promotion of demand-side energy practices, including real-time electricity pricing and the use of electric cars. Jon has particular expertise in renewable integration, plug-in electric vehicles, energy storage and efficiency, demand response, and energy infrastructure security, including cyber security. He brings to the table experience in federal and state energy policy, regulation, and project development.

Legal Expertise. A renowned energy attorney, Jon was a partner at Stoel Rives LLP and co-chair of the firm’s energy team. He also served as general counsel at the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (1998–2000) and served two terms as the State of Nevada’s first Advocate for Customers of Public Utilities, where he authored the first comprehensive state utility integrated planning statute which later became a nationwide model. He was the primary author of the groundbreaking Nevada Renewable Portfolio Standard Act and went on to assist six other states with the development of renewable portfolio standards.

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