Jonathan Morgenstein's work has significantly focused on supporting low-medium income (LMI) communities’ access to renewable energy and in particular affordable financing. He also leads NREL’s partnership development efforts with sub-federal jurisdictions in the mid-Atlantic. Additionally, Morgenstein plays a leading role in U.S. Department of Energy’s, NREL-led Community Power Accelerator program scaling-up deployment of community-benefiting, distributed solar nationally, and particularly to the benefit of LMI communities. 

Renewable energy finance

Solar and storage development

State and local government technical support

In June 2024 Morgenstein retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Marine Corps Reserves, where he had served since 1991, including two tours in Iraq and one in Bosnia. 

Previously he worked on Energy Savings Performance Contracts and founded Empowerment Solar, a company dedicated to designing and installing distributed solar electric systems in the Middle East.

Before entering the energy field, Morgenstein worked in national security policy, human rights, and conflict mitigation in the U.S. Senate, at the Pentagon and with the U.S. Institute of Peace.