Dr. Richard Haut is currently a Senior Research Scientist at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC). He serves as the Principal Investigator (P.I.) for various projects associated with securing energy for the future. A major effort is serving as P.I. for the Environmentally Friendly Drilling program in partnership with Texas A&M University, other universities and industry with the objective of integrating advanced technologies into systems that significantly reduce the environmental tradeoffs of petroleum drilling and production. He also serves as the P.I. for various projects concerning the built environment, working with the City of Houston, in particular, Rich directs the Solar America Cities program for the City of Houston and other solar, energy efficiency and renovation programs, including the George R. Brown Solar Pilot Program and the East Harris County Solar Energy Pilot Program.
Dr. Haut served as the Director of the Sustainable Technologies Group at HARC from 2002 to 2006. In the position, he was responsible for directing various HARC teams associated with high performance green building systems and materials, trace chemical detection, offshore technologies, cryogenics/superconductivity and air emissions reduction technologies - moving knowledge to action in supporting policies and technologies that improve human well-being and the environment. Dr. Haut also served as P.I. for various projects associated with ecologized building systems, and represented HARC on various committee and organizations, including the EPA's Regional and Local Land Revitalization Team. During his tenure, the Group won a variety of awards, including the Innovative Technology Award for Wood Treatment Processing, the Citizen's Environmental Coalition President's synergy award and an honorable mention for the Keep Houston Beautiful award.
Dr. Haut's technical background includes a Masters degree and a Ph.D. in Engineering. He has over 25 years of industry technical and management experience prior to joining HARC in June 2002, having been responsible for analyzing offerings for key technologies or niche capabilities and developing synergistic, strategic relationships in the energy industry. He also was instrumental in establishing joint ventures and other joint industry programs, including the start-up of Enventure Global Technology where he was the Chief Operating Officer. Over a two year time period, Dr. Haut was involved in the successful development of Enventure, taking it from conception to profitability during this time period. In 1999 he received Hart Publication's Meritorious Award for Engineering Innovation and in 2002 received the Natural Gas Innovator of the Year Award from the Department of Energy.
Dr. Haut has been invited to speak at various conferences, has authored numerous papers, has been awarded over three dozen patents and has several patents pending. He was featured in the Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2008 as well as the Summer 2008 edition of Echoes, the alumni magazine of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and has been interviewed on multiple occasions by the media. He has frequently been asked to speak about sustainable development, the built environment and the offshore/energy industry. He is a board member of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) where he also chairs the Environmental Advisory Group. He also served on the US Green Building Council - National Research Committee where he represented all non-profits across the U.S. Dr. Haut is chairing the Society of Petroleum Engineers' Health, Safety and Environment Committee for the 2009 Annual Technical Conference. He also represents HARC on the Wind Alliance.
Expertise
- Engineering
- Green Building Practices