Policy that moves Power

Energy systems are changing faster than the rules that govern them.

Our policy frameworks, market rules, and institutions are trying to keep pace.

Allison Bates Wannop

I’m an energy-policy obsessed regulatory attorney, policy strategist, and industry builder.

My work sits at the intersection of:

  • wholesale electricity markets and distribution utilities

  • regulation and policy

  • grid modernization

  • distributed energy resources

We have the technologies. This moment is about changing the rules holding them back, by building the future together.

More About My Work...

The hard part is changing the systems.

Market rules written for a different grid.
Institutions designed for a different era.
Regulatory frameworks that move slower than innovation.

Those are solvable problems.

I’ve worked on regulatory issues in all nine U.S. and Canadian wholesale markets, before FERC, and across more than twenty states, both in-house and as a consultant.

I work on the regulatory and market structures that determine whether new energy technologies scale or sit on the sidelines.

Currently the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs and Wholesale Markets at Sparkfund, I work to deploy batteries and other DERs at scale.

I have passion projects across the industry. Momentum showcases my body of work and provides a place to operate independently.

Policy is a business development tool.

Policy should be sharing a solution with the person whose problem it solves, to build an enthusiastic partnership.

Now, our nation’s economic future hinges on a reliable and affordable electric system.

As Americans, we need to get back to Doing Big Things together. To build a 21st century economy, our policy frameworks, market rules, and institutions must evolve to meet this moment.

  • "20th century solutions will not build the 21st century grid..."

    - Utility Dive

  • "Community doesn’t have an easily quantifiable payback, or a straight line ROI. But communities take care of each other. Communities solve problems."

    — Sightline Climate

  • "In Retail Choice 1.0, retailers are energy traders. Only cost matters. In Retail Choice 2.0, retailers are technology companies."

    — Utility Dive

  • “Voltus asserts that, contrary to the stated intentions of the PD, the actions proposed by the PD will not measurably decrease peak and net peak demand for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers. …Therefore…the PD does not prescribe programs that will provide incremental grid stability in the event of an extreme weather event, or any other grid emergency.”

    — California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)

  • “Another outdated paradigm to abandon is that of retailers vs. utilities, sworn enemies. Actually, these are complementary components of our energy system, with 2.0 retailers incubating the technology and services that utilities will one day use.”

    — Utility Dive