Nag Patibandla
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Director of Center for Future Energy Systems
Dr. Nag Patibandla joined Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) recently as the Director of Center for Future Energy Systems. CFES is one of 15 Centers for Advanced Technology (CATs) across New York State funded by the New York State Office of Science, Technology and Academic Research (NYSTAR). In collaboration with Cornell University and Brookhaven National Laboratory, CFES addresses energy, economic, and environmental issues from both the energy efficiency and renewable energy perspectives with specific research activities focused on advanced lighting, smart displays, fuel cells and hydrogen, photovoltaic and solar cells, wind power, biomass, and biofuels. CFES strives to connect energy research, knowledge, and technology in academia to the needs of industry through collaborations and technology transfer to spur economic development. The Center for Future Energy Systems (CFES) is focused on transforming scientific knowledge in sustainable energy technologies into economically competitive, pragmatic applications for the 21st Century.
Before joining RPI, Dr. Patibandla worked at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) where he managed Industry R&D, Distributed Generation - Combined Heat and Power (DG-CHP), Superconductivity, and Hydrogen program-areas. As a member of NYSERDA’s management team, Nag took an active role in charting a vision and strategy for State-funded Energy R&D programs including programs funded via the systems benefit charge (SBC) - funds collected as result of electric utility deregulation and the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Nag led and supervised professional staff that developed and managed research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) projects with a combined annual budget of $20 million. All these projects emphasized a positive impact on the New York’s economy and environment in addition to the obvious technology advancement and energy benefits.
Dr. Patibandla earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in 1989. He then worked at General Electric Corporate Research and Development Center, Schenectady, NY and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). Between 1996 and 1998, he was an Adjunct Professor with the State University of New York at Albany. During his tenure at RPI and SUNY, Albany he developed and taught undergraduate and graduate level courses.
In recognizing of Nag’s contributions to the DG-CHP area, he was honored by the United States Combined Heat and Power Association as a “CHP CHAMPION” in 2003. Currently, Nag serves on the Advisory Committees for the Engineering Science and Technology Division (ESTD) of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the U.S. Climate Change Technology Program’s R&D Portfolio Assessment.