Principal Investigators

The center for renewables integration teams with renowned experts to perform selected projects, seeking out the right people to fill in knowledge gaps required to execute the project.

Jon Wellinghoff: Former FERC Chairman, Energy Policy and Law, Cleantech Expert

Projects:

Jon Wellinghoff teamed with Center for Renewables Integration to investigate using energy storage, distributed generation and load control as transmission assets. Launched in 2017 as a multi-phased project, the first step was a thorough analysis of relevant FERC regulations and their implementation by ISOs nation-wide, and the second was a deep dive into California and CAISO transmission planning regulations. The third runs from April to December, 2018 and includes participating in CAISO's process to enable the regulatory changes required to allow energy storage to be used as cost effectively as possible, as both a transmission asset as well as a generation resource.

His firm GridPolicy, Inc. is dedicated to furthering the deployment of and investment in clean sustainable distributed energy resources (DERs). Jon works to remove regulatory, policy and institutional barriers to the widespread adoption of cost effective DER technologies and systems, assisting companies, governments, and consumers who market and/or operate such resources. In 2006, Jon received his first of two Presidential appointments to serve as a Commissioner on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and was FERC’s longest serving Chairman (2009-2013). During his FERC tenure, he led efforts to make the U.S. power system cleaner and more efficient by promoting and integrating renewable energy, demand response, energy efficiency and storage. As Chairman, he championed the adoption of FERC Order 1000 and oversaw its implementation until his departure in 2013.

LORENZO Kristov: former caiso principal, Transmission system Policy, Structure and bulk market design expert

PROJECTS:

Lorenzo Kristov is a principal author of the report which examined the challenges and opportunities for using energy storage, distributed generation and load control in CAISO as a transmission solution. Lorenzo's deep knowledge of CAISO's processes, and first hand experience working with the CPUC on issues associated with assets that can be used in multiple applications (aka Multi-Use Applications or MUA), was critical to a successful outcome. Lorenzo is also a critical leader in CRI's participation in CAISO's Energy Storage as Transmission Stakeholder effort.

As an independent consultant Lorenzo continues to work in areas he began while employed at the California Independent System Operator, areas which are encompassed by the broad heading of electric system evolution toward an integrated-decentralized structure. Some areas of focus within this broad heading are: community-level energy systems; integration of energy and municipal services to create resilient communities; whole-system architecture for the integrated-decentralized future grid; transmission-distribution interface coordination with high DER; redesign of wholesale spot markets for a zero marginal cost supply fleet; distribution system operator (DSO) models; distribution-level energy markets; and new utility business models.