David A. Johnson

David A. Johnson is an Ontario Professional Engineer who currently leads the Wind Energy Research Group (WEG) at the University of Waterloo, supervises researchers in wind energy, and teaches wind energy courses at the graduate level. He founded the university’s Wind Energy Laboratory, which undertakes research on wind turbine aerodynamics and aeroacoustics (noise).

Dr. Johnson has lectured and published widely on measurement techniques for wind turbine aerodynamics and the performance of turbine airfoils, and he has developed innovative aeroacoustic measurement techniques for wind turbines. WEG operates a large grid-connected turbine for research and has developed many full-scale and model turbine systems, including a 30 kW turbine, a 3kW turbine for studies in a world-class indoor test facility, and hybrid wind/PV/battery systems. He is leading a project to bring wind energy to remote, off-grid, diesel-dependent communities in northern Canada. He is part of the cross-Canada, NSERC-supported Wind Energy Strategic Network (WESNet), for which WEG has completed measurements on large-scale wind turbines. He has also been involved in renewable energy research in Canada and Denmark since working at Ontario Hydro Research Division in the late 1980s. Dr. Johnson holds a PhD from McMaster University.

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