Jon Wellinghoff, who served as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2009 through 2013, has joined the board of directors of Pittsburgh-based kWantera – a provider of cost-saving energy management software and services to large consumers of electricity and natural gas in deregulated markets nationwide.
This represents Wellinghoff’s first board position since he departed from FERC. The company announced the appointment on February 10.
“I see my role as a kWantera evangelist,” Wellinghoff commented in the company’s official announcement, adding, “We want to get this technology out into the energy industry. We can help translate, for instance, for the average wind farm developer who may not understand how to use the tools to help him maximize the profits from his assets.”
“kWantera gives our clients the opportunity to reduce the cost of energy and participate directly in the energy markets, resulting in a better price,” explained kWantera CEO Mark DeSantis.
Wellinghoff said that working with kWantera will enable him to further his goal of creating a cleaner power grid. During his FERC tenure, Wellinghoff worked to make the U.S. power grid less carbon-intensive and more efficient, integrating emerging resources, such as renewable energy and demand response.
With the recent Paris accords, the extension of the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the Supreme Court ruling upholding FERC jurisdiction over demand response, Wellinghoff said this is an exciting time to be part of the energy sector. “All these things are coming together, and there are great opportunities for clean energy,” he commented
