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Strategic Advisor·Clean Energy·Grid Infrastructure

Jon Wellinghoff

Chief Regulatory Officer (Voltus); CEO (GridPolicy); Partner (Stoel Rives) at Voltus / GridPolicy / Stoel Rives

Reno, NV / Washington, D.C.

JW
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Why they matter

The most influential living former regulator on distributed-energy and grid-edge market design. Uniquely placed to advise on regulatory risk in DER, VPP, and transmission investments.

Background

Longest-serving Chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 2009-2013. First nominated to FERC as a Commissioner by President George W. Bush in 2006. After FERC, has held a remarkable string of clean-energy operating and advisory roles: Chief Policy Officer at SolarCity, Chief Regulatory Officer at Voltus (a leading VPP / DER aggregator), CEO of GridPolicy (DER and grid-enhancing-technology advocacy), and Partner at Stoel Rives. Recently joined Inlyte Energy's industry leadership team.

Notable deals

  • 2011
    As FERC Chair, drove Order 745 (demand-response compensation) and Order 1000 (regional transmission planning). Foundational rules for the modern DER and transmission market.
  • 2025
    Joined Inlyte Energy's industry leadership alongside Peter Lilienthal and Richard Baxter (long-duration storage focus).
  • 2024
    Continues to advise DER, VPP, and grid-enhancing-technology companies through GridPolicy and Voltus roles.

Call-prep brief

Background

Wellinghoff is the dean of U.S. clean-energy regulators. As FERC Chair, he wrote the rules that made DERs participate in wholesale markets. Post-FERC, he picked operator and advisory seats in exactly the companies (SolarCity, Voltus, Inlyte) that operationalize those rules. Few people in the industry have his combination of regulatory insight, industry positioning, and credibility.

What he cares about

  • FERC Order 2222 implementation. How DER aggregators actually participate in wholesale markets.
  • Long-duration storage. Inlyte involvement signals interest in iron-sodium chemistries.
  • Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs). Dynamic line ratings, advanced power-flow controls.
  • Interconnection-queue reform.

Recent moves

  • Joined Inlyte Energy industry leadership (2025).
  • Active across VPP / DER / transmission policy.

Sensitivities

  • Lawyer first, advocate second. Be precise; he'll cut through fluff.
  • He has skin in the game across Voltus and Inlyte. Be aware of conflicts.

Questions to ask

  1. Where is FERC Order 2222 implementation actually stuck, and which RTO will compliance be cleanest in by 2027?
  2. Which grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) are closest to wholesale-tariff acceptance?
  3. Which segment of long-duration storage is most likely to crack open the regulatory framework?

Outreach draft

Subject
DER and transmission market design: your view
Mr. Wellinghoff, I lead clean-energy and grid investing at [Firm]. We're calibrating regulatory-risk views on DER aggregation (Order 2222) and grid-enhancing technologies, and your perspective from both the regulator seat and now the Voltus / GridPolicy seats is the highest-signal source we know of. Would you have 30 minutes for a structured conversation in the next month? Best regards, [Your name] [Your firm]

Linked companies

Sources