"Some Tales of the Early R&D - An American Perspective on Wind Energy’s Path to Commercialization"
Robert W. Thresher, Ph.D.
NREL Research Fellow
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
Dr. Thresher has more than 40 years of research, development, engineering, and management experience in wind technology and ocean energy systems. As a professor at Oregon State University, he worked with DOE to develop early wind technologies. At NREL he has been a principal researcher developing early wind technology and an architect of the wind program at NREL and the creation of the National Wind Technology Center. Since Dr. Thresher was appointed to the position of NREL Wind Energy Research Fellow in 2008, he has served as a strategist and spokesperson for the initiation of a national research program to develop offshore renewable energy technologies. He is currently serving as mentor and team supervisor for NREL’s wave, river and tidal current research team.