Dr. David Parekh, Vice President, Research, and Director, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) presents this Porter Alliance lecture at Imperial College London.
Abstract: In many applications, the energy converted to useful work is a small fraction of the potential energy of the natural resource used. While we do need to continue to develop alternate, renewable sources of energy, there is still a vast field of wasted energy available to be tapped. This is the near-term opportunity of energy efficiency. This opportunity becomes even larger when one takes a systems rather than just a component approach.
Beginning with an overview of United Technologies Research Center and its approaches for fostering and transitioning innovations, the presentation will provide examples of work from a broad portfolio of research related to energy and the environment. This will include discussion of an ongoing study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings sponsored by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, implementation of energy efficiency in a modern Otis factory, and an R&D 100 Award winning technology for harnessing geothermal energy.
Biography: Dr. David Parekh serves as Vice President and Director of United Technologies Research Center (UTRC). UTRC is the corporate research center for the businesses of United Technologies — industry leaders in aerospace propulsion, vertical flight, building infrastructure and services, heating and air conditioning, fire and security systems and power generation. Founded in 1929, United Technologies Research Center (UTRC) is located in East Hartford, Connecticut (U.S.) and also operates a research and development center in Shanghai, China. Prior to joining UTRC in 2007, Dr. Parekh was deputy director of Georgia Tech Research Institute. While at GTRI, he had primary responsibility for research operations, business development, commercialization, and the institute’s internal research portfolio. He also served as president of Georgia Tech Ireland, the university’s non-profit corporation, which he founded in 2006 to conduct basic and applied research programs with multinational corporations and universities in Europe. Early in his career, he held several positions at Boeing Phantom Works and the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories. David Parekh holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and master’s degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering from Stanford University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech.
To register please email eeo@imperial.ac.uk