A bit about me…

I’m an energy regulatory attorney, policy strategist, and unapologetic energy nerd.

My work sits at the intersection of policy, markets, infrastructure, and translation—focused on whether new energy technologies actually get used, or get stuck behind systems built for a different grid.

I’ve worked across all nine U.S. and Canadian wholesale markets, before FERC, and in more than twenty states.

I love bridging the gap between the technical and human sides:

Regulators. Utilities. Technology companies. Developers. Investors.

Lastly, I care about real solutions… scaling what already works, strengthening institutions, and making energy work more accessible—while maintaining the reliability and rigor the system depends on, and bringing together people who can think across disciplines and move energy forward.

And, work can be fun

I help organizations navigate the regulatory and market systems that shape the energy industry.

Most of my work centers around one question:

How do we move this forward in the real world, not just in theory?

That work often includes:

• regulatory strategy and policy development
• wholesale market participation and market design
• stakeholder engagement
• scaling DERs and technology adoption
• connecting regulatory developments to business strategy
• identifying high-impact opportunities for policy change
• building relationships

I connect groups that often talk past each other, to bridge gaps:

  • Utilities

  • Regulators

  • Technology companies

  • Infrastructure operators

  • Market participants

Each group sees the grid through a different lens.

better decisions get made.

Harnessing the power of distributed energy resources to create a reliable grid and abundant energy future

WonDERs Woman

ON THE RECORD

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ON THE RECORD —

PODCASTS & PANELS

  • The MOTHERS Podcast with Sarah Brown

    In this episode of The Mothers, Allison shares how she left a high-status legal career to build a life and career rooted in purpose. She reflects on redefining success, raising five children, and choosing alignment over external validation.

    Listen Now

  • NARUC Webinar

    Allison Bates Wannop joined a panel exploring how states are moving beyond the traditional “deregulation vs. monopoly” debate toward more flexible energy models.

    Watch Panel

  • DER Task Force

    Featured as DERTF's Policy Lead, Allison Bates Wannop discusses the future of distributed energy resources, virtual power plants, and grid modernization, while exploring the real-world challenges of navigating complex regulatory systems

    Listen Now

  • All Things DER

    In this episode of All Things DER, Allison Bates Wannop discusses the communication and regulatory challenges shaping the modern grid.

    Watch Now

DERVOS '24: Policy Panel

I moderated a policy panel at DERVOS 2024 in New York City, bringing together leading regulators and advocates to discuss how emerging energy technologies move from innovation to scale. Policy Giants Allison Clements, Marissa Gillett, and Arushi Sharma Frank discussed the critical role of regulatory policy in determining whether new technologies succeed, and what it takes—from both policy and market perspectives—to actually get them onto the grid.

ARTICLES

  • Can Retail Choice 2.0 succeed where Retail Choice 1.0 (maybe) failed?

    Retail Choice 2.0 holds enormous potential, but it must contend with the ghosts of Retail Choice 1.0., including predatory solicitation of low-income and elderly customers.

    Read Now

  • How an energy policy advisor uses memes, art and podcasts to advance important renewable energy initiatives

    Working at the intersection of regulation, markets, and emerging technologies, Allison helps bridge gaps between utilities, regulators, and technology companies to turn proven energy solutions into real-world impact.

    Read Now

  • What a Missouri Regulatory Change Can Teach Us About Scaling VPPs

    Using Missouri as a case study, Allison Bates Wannop explores how collaboration—not just technology—is essential to scaling virtual power plants and demand response.

    Read Now

  • Distributed Capacity Procurement: Unlocking Grid Value with Utility-Led DER Deployment

    Co-author of a white paper introducing Distributed Capacity Procurement (DCP), a utility-led model for deploying and managing distributed energy resources at scale, with a roadmap for utilities and regulators to integrate DERs into long-term grid planning.

    Read Now

REGULATORY WORK

  • Distributed Energy Resources Participation In Wholesale Markets (for DERTF)

    Advocating for policies that help proven energy technologies scale, with a focus on virtual power plants, distributed energy resources, and modernizing the rules that govern the grid.

    Read Now

  • Distributed Capacity & Large Load Interconnection

    Co-author of comments filed with FERC advocating for the use of distributed energy resources, demand flexibility, and storage to accelerate large-load interconnections and modernize grid planning. The filing argues that many of the solutions needed to meet growing energy demand already exist—we simply need the policies to deploy them at scale.

    Read Now

How I Ended Up Here…

My career in energy policy started over a coffee.

At the time, I was working as a litigation attorney when I heard Mary Powell speak about being a woman in a male-dominated field. Afterward, I went up to tell her how much I appreciated it. She offered to meet, and a few weeks later, over coffee, she said something simple:

“I think you might like energy work. Why don’t you look into it?”

So I did.

I started teaching myself the electricity industry, reaching out to people in the space, and joining the Energy Bar Association. A few months later, the Supreme Court issued its decision in FERC v. EPSA, one of the most important energy law cases in history.

Reading that case felt like a bolt of lightning.

I loved the complexity of the issues, and the fact that the questions were inherently multidisciplinary. Law. Economics. Policy. Engineering. Real-world impact.

I thought, this is what I want to do with my life.

That instinct has held up.