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, an R&D 100 Award winning technology for harnessing geothermal energy, and the world’s first fuel cell powered rotary wing UAV.