Jon Wellinghoff

A major component of an effective smart grid will be improved demand response capabilities, the third of Wellinghoff's top priorities. Wellinghoff has labeled demand response the "killer app" for the smart grid. This form of enhanced, two-way communication would allow electricity providers to pay consumers to use less electricity. At times of peak demand (and peak prices) and other times of grid stress or need, consumers could respond by modifying their usage. Grid operators could, in turn, respond with more efficient management of available resources and avoid the high expenses associated with putting another power plant on-line to generate the electricity necessary to meet demand. Less wasted electricity would help lower prices for everyone and foster a more efficient and environmentally sustainable market. FERC's most recent assessment of the country's demand response potential concluded that peak demand could be reduced by as much 188 GW, or roughly 20%, by 2019.

In April 2017, Jon opened GridPolicy, Inc. where as the CEO, he works to enable the intersection of policy and distributed energy technologies. GridPolicy assists energy tech companies from start-ups to fully commercialized enterprises to get to market and expand markets by addressing critical policy barriers to business success.

Wellinghoff served as SolarCity's Chief Policy Officer from April 2016 through April 2017. Here he was responsible for recommending policy initiatives and interventions in state, federal, and other forums to support distributed energy resource products and services offered by SolarCity.

For his work with the Energy Storage Community he received the Energy Storage Association's 2014 Phil Symons Award at their 24th Annual Conference.

Wellinghoff's work in energy-related fields has included renewable integration, plug-in electric vehicles, and the modernization of the American electric grid. In November 2013, Wellinghoff stepped down from his post as the 13th FERC chairman.

Jon Wellinghoff submitted his resignation to U.S. President Barack Obama on May 5, 2013 and remained in the post until November 25, 2013, when the president appointed his successor, Cheryl A. LaFleur.

Wellinghoff joined Stoel Rives LLP after leaving FERC in 2013. His work there focused on assisting emerging energy technology firms (battery manufacturers, solar PV system developers and manufacturers, demand response providers, and advanced grid technology providers to name a few) with strategies and counsel as to growing their businesses and avoiding and/or removing barriers to market success. He also participated in numerous speaking engagements and keynote presentations for energy technology firms, trade associations and energy sector organizations. Topics included a look at our energy future, grid security, the rise of solar energy and distributed generation, the German energy experience, and advances in energy technology.

Under Wellinghoff's leadership the Commission issued FERC Order 745 on March 15, 2011, which prescribes how providers of demand response are to be compensated in the organized wholesale markets. On January 25, 2016, the Supreme Court upheld FERC 745, overruling the US Court of Appeals decision. The Court affirmed that the FERC had jurisdiction over prices paid for wholesale demand response.

On March 19, 2009, President Barack Obama named Wellinghoff as FERC Chairman. Wellinghoff quickly established three top priorities for his term: the integration of renewable energy sources, including wind, solar geothermal and hydrokinetic energy, into the electric grid; the implementation of advanced technologies aimed at making the use and distribution of energy more efficient; and the promotion of demand-side energy practices, including real-time electricity pricing and the use of electric cars. All three of these priorities will emphasize improvements to the overall efficiency of the nation's energy infrastructure.

On July 16, 2009, the Commission released a Smart Grid Policy Statement setting priorities for the adoption of new standards and practices that will best enable FERC to facilitate the widespread and expedited use of smart grid technology.

In 2008, the Alliance to Save Energy honored Wellinghoff with its prestigious Charles Percy Award for Public Service. The non-profit group bestowed the award "in recognition of [his] decades of outstanding public service and his expertise and leadership on energy efficiency as the nation confronts the dual challenge of electricity supply security climate change."

In 2006, Wellinghoff was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate as one of the five commissioners at the FERC.

Jon B. Wellinghoff (born May 30, 1949) is an American attorney who served as the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2009 to 2013. The FERC is a U.S. government agency that regulates the interstate transmission of electricity, natural gas, and oil. The FERC also reviews proposals to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals and interstate natural gas pipelines and licenses hydropower projects.

Wellinghoff was born in Santa Monica, California, on May 30, 1949, and moved to Reno, Nevada, at the age of four. He attended the University of Nevada-Reno, earning a B.S. in mathematics in 1971. The following year he earned a master's degree in teaching mathematics from Howard University and stayed in Washington, D.C., to attend Antioch School of Law where he earned his J.D. in 1975.