# Jim Murphy

> James "Jim" Murphy is the CEO and co-founder of Chicago-based Invenergy, a privately held power infrastructure developer, owner and operator. An accountant and project-finance specialist by training, Murphy spent decades turning relationships, complex capital structures and disciplined execution into physical energy assets. He co-founded Invenergy in 2001 with Michael Polsky and other former SkyGen executives, helped guide its expansion from natural gas into wind, solar, storage, transmission and domestic manufacturing, and became CEO in April 2026. He also chairs Illuminate USA, sits on the boards of Reactivate and the American Clean Power Association, and serves on Energize Capital's investment committee.

- **Role:** CEO and Co-Founder at Invenergy
- **Organizations:** Invenergy, Illuminate USA, Energize Capital, Reactivate, American Clean Power Association, American Council on Renewable Energy, American Wind Energy Association, SkyGen Energy, The Deerpath Group, Arthur Andersen
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, magna cum laude; CPA certification, University of Illinois
- **Known for:** Co-founded Invenergy in 2001 and helped grow it from an eight-person startup into a company that had developed more than 225 projects representing nearly 40 gigawatts by July 2026., Helped Invenergy raise more than $75 billion in corporate and project financing through private capital markets., Completed eight major project financings and transactions representing more than $1 billion in one quarter in 2013 with teams across Invenergy.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2001** — Worked as a manager at Arthur Andersen, vice president at The Deerpath Group, and chief financial officer at SkyGen Energy.
- **2001** — Co-founded Invenergy with Michael Polsky and other former SkyGen executives in Chicago.
- **2004-2005** — Helped finance Invenergy's early wind portfolio, including Buffalo Mountain and a three-project portfolio financing recognized as the 2005 North American Portfolio Finance Deal of the Year.
- **2013** — Led a period in which Invenergy completed eight major project financings and transactions worth more than $1 billion in a single quarter.
- **2016** — Served as Invenergy's CFO and described project-finance capability as central to the independent power business.
- **2021** — Served as inaugural chair of the American Clean Power Association board.
- **2024** — As chairman of Illuminate USA, marked the start of commercial solar-panel production at its 1.1-million-square-foot Ohio facility.
- **2025** — Publicly argued for interregional transmission, domestic manufacturing and a broad mix of generation to meet rising electricity demand.
- **2026** — Became CEO of Invenergy on April 7 while Michael Polsky moved to executive chairman.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Invenergy in 2001 and helped grow it from an eight-person startup into a company that had developed more than 225 projects representing nearly 40 gigawatts by July 2026.
- Helped Invenergy raise more than $75 billion in corporate and project financing through private capital markets.
- Completed eight major project financings and transactions representing more than $1 billion in one quarter in 2013 with teams across Invenergy.
- Serves as chairman of Illuminate USA, whose Ohio solar manufacturing facility spans 1.1 million square feet and reported more than 1,600 jobs in 2026.
- Served as the inaugural chair of the American Clean Power Association board and for years on the boards of ACP, ACORE and AWEA.
- Serves on Energize Capital's investment committee and on the board of Reactivate.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — At Invenergy's 25-year mark, Murphy said relationships remain central to the business and called execution an underpriced asset.
- **2026-04** — Became CEO of Invenergy as Michael Polsky moved to executive chairman; Murphy said the company would stay guided by market understanding, disciplined decisions and earned trust.
- **2026-04** — As Illuminate USA board chair, announced Art Fletcher as the solar manufacturer's new CEO.
- **2026-02** — Wrote that Illuminate USA had created more than 1,600 manufacturing jobs and produced more than eight million solar panels since operations began in 2024.
- **2025-05** — Discussed rising electricity demand, natural gas, transmission, domestic manufacturing and Grain Belt Express on the USEA Power Sector podcast.

## Links

- Website: https://invenergy.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jim-murphy-9b183813

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/jim-murphy
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-24