- Public Utilities Board
- Nick de Vries
Nick de Vries
Nick de Vries
March 2025 to June 2029
Email Nick de Vries
Professional Experience
Commissioner de Vries’s career spans 30 years in renewable power generation, photovoltaic module design and manufacturing as well as service in the US Army.
He is currently employed as the Chief Technology Officer of Silicon Ranch, one of the nation’s largest independent solar power producers. In this role he is responsible for both the technological and ecological vision for the company. Previously he was the Senior Vice President for Asset Management where he was responsible for the operation of the company’s fleet of 150 solar power plants, totaling 2.7GW in 15 states. Department duties included power generation, energy forecasting, REC trading, NERC compliance, & power plant and substation operations and maintenance.
Community Involvement
Commissioner de Vries is the Principal Investigator of a Department of Energy funded research project on an Integrated PV System Design and Management Platform for the Co-Optimization of Regenerative Cattle Grazing and PV Solar Generation. Outside of his own research, he serves as an industry advisor to multiple Department of Energy research programs focused on new technologies that improve the efficiency and reliability of solar panels.
Education
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and has been awarded five patents in photovoltaic module and system design.