Paul Veers is an NREL senior research fellow and the chief engineer at the National Wind Technology Center. He has worked in wind energy technology since 1980, conducting research on wind energy systems, including atmospheric turbulence simulation, fatigue analysis, reliability, structural dynamics, aeroelastic tailoring of blades, and the evaluation of design requirements. Prior to his role at NREL, he was a distinguished member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories. Paul has authored over 100 journal articles, conference papers, book chapters, and reports and, for 12 years, was the chief editor for Wind Energy, an international journal for progress and applications in wind power. Paul is the executive director of the North American Wind Energy Academy and serves as a chief editor of Wind Energy Science.

Education

Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University

M.S., Engineering Mechanics, University of Wisconsin, Madison

B.S., Engineering Mechanics, University of Wisconsin, Madison

Professional Experience

Senior Research Fellow, NREL (2019–present)

Chief Engineer, NREL’s National Wind Technology Center (2010–present)

Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories (1998–2010)

Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories (1980–1998)

Associations and Memberships

Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers

Executive Director, North American Wind Energy Academy

Member, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics

Featured Work

Grand Challenges: Wind Energy Research Needs for a Global Energy Transition, Wind Energy Science (2022) 

Grand Challenges in the Design, Manufacture, and Operation of Future Wind Turbine Systems, Wind Energy Science Discussions (2022)

Wind-Power Generator Technology Research Aims to Meet Global Wind Power Ambitions, Joule (2020)

Grand Challenges in the Science of Wind Energy, Science (2019)

Trends in the Design, Manufacture and Evaluation of Wind Turbine Blades, Wind Energy (2003)

Patents

Passively Adaptive Wind Turbine Blade for Load Attenuation, U.S. Statutory Invention Registration No. SD-6687 (2003)

Awards and Honors

Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2020)

Senior Research Fellow for sustained research leadership, NREL (2019)

Chairman’s Award 2018 “for sustained and impactful contributions to the mission of the laboratory,” NREL (2018)

The Academy Scientific Award 2016 for "extraordinary achievements and continued leadership in wind energy research, and his impact on the scientific literature,” European Academy of Wind Energy (2016)

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 1906 Award “for contributing in an exceptional way to the technical work of IEC,” IEC (2014)

Technical Achievement Award “in recognition of significant contribution to articulating how wind can provide 20% of US electricity demand by 2030,” American Wind Energy Association (2008)

Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff for sustained research leadership, Sandia National Laboratories (1998)

Technical Award for "significant contribution to the development of wind energy technology,” American Wind Energy Association (1997)