Michael Skelly

Michael Skelly is the co-founder and CEO of Grid United, a transmission development company working to build out the U.S. transmission grid for greater resiliency, load growth and to accommodate the evolving generation mix. Skelly was previously the founder and president of Clean Line Energy, a company that successfully permitted some of the longest transmission lines in the United States in the last 50 years.  

Prior to Clean Line, Skelly led the growth of Horizon Wind Energy, now part of EDPR, to become one of the largest renewable energy companies in the United States. Skelly’s other entrepreneurial ventures include founding partner and general manager of the Rain Forest Aerial Tram in the early ’90’s, where he led the development, construction and operations of the first large-scale canopy tourism project in the Americas.  

Skelly applies his expertise in developing infrastructure projects to advocate for more transportation options and increase access to parks in his adopted hometown of Houston, Texas. In 2012, he led the “Parks By You” campaign, which resulted in the passage of a $150 million bond measure to fund 100 plus miles of trails along the city’s bayous.

Skelly sits on the board of Form Energy. Skelly’s public service includes working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America and a run for the U.S. Congress in 2008, where he was the Democratic nominee for the 7th Congressional District of Texas. Skelly remains deeply involved in local politics.

Skelly is the principal protagonist in Superpower, a book by Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist Russell Gold. The book chronicles the growth and development of renewable energy in the 21st century.  

Skelly’s family immigrated to the United States from Ireland when he was a small child. He holds a B.A. in economics from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Skelly speaks fluent Spanish. Skelly and his wife of 30 years have three children in their twenties. They live in Firehouse No. 2, a 110 year old fire station which they restored in the East End of Houston.