John Gardner

John Gardner is a Senior Project Manager in Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Interconnection Engineering at Xcel Energy, with more than 13 years of experience in electric distribution engineering and DER integration. In his current role, John provides technical and regulatory leadership for large, complex DER projects across Xcel Energy’s multi-state service territory, working closely with utilities, regulators, developers, and industry partners to advance safe, reliable interconnection practices. John is recognized for his stakeholder engagement efforts, having led and supported collaborative working groups and public utility commission rulemaking initiatives in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Minnesota. His experience includes leading New Mexico’s Technical Interconnection and Interoperability Requirements (TIIR) stakeholder process, serving as a regulatory subject-matter expert in DER proceedings, and participating in regional and national advisory forums focused on solar, storage, micro-grids, interconnection, and grid modernization.