Danny S. Parker, a Principal Research Scientist at the Florida Solar Energy Center
(FSEC), has been named this year’s Distinguished Researcher at the Center.

Parker, who has been with FSEC since 1988, received this recognition based on
several of his recent activities, including:

·	Research and development he conducted that led to the commercialization of the
Gossamer Wind ceiling fan.  This is the most successful innovation patented and
licensed by the University of Central Florida, and more than 500,000 of these
innovative ceiling fans have been sold by Home Depot.  Parker is now developing this
technology for air-conditioner condenser fans, which may have an even greater energy
savings and market potential.
·	For the past several years, he has led research on “cool roofs” that has
quantified the significant energy benefit of these technologies through testing of
seven Habitat for Humanity homes and other facilities.
·	Parker played a major role in FSEC’s Lakeland, Florida research home, part of the
Zero Energy Homes project.  He leads the FSEC effort in this area which developed a
home that showed an 80 percent savings in air-conditioning energy, with the electric
meter actually running backward on the hottest summer days in Florida.
·	He led the Florida Power Corp. project to monitor and analyze more than 150 homes
and documented the energy characteristics of newly built homes to a level of detail
not seen previously.
·	He also leads the technical algorithm development of the EnergyGauge USA software,
a complex and unique computer program for analyzing building energy analysis with
renewable energy options.

In announcing this award, FSEC Building Research Division director Robin Vieira
noted that “Danny has become internationally recognized for his great work on the
Gossamer Wind fan, which has had such a tremendous impact on energy savings, but
people often don’t realize how much work he has done in other areas of energy
efficiency.  He has had some great successes with projects ranging from monitoring
of building performance to developing building strategies that can dramatically cut
down on energy use while greatly improving indoor comfort.  He has played a major
role in helping FSEC achieve our reputation as a major center of buildings research,
and he truly deserves an honor such as this.”

Full details on the fan are available at 
www.fsec.ucf.edu/bldg/active/bdac/prototype/cfan.htm.  General information on
FSEC’s buildings research program can be found at www.fsec.ucf.edu/bldg/.

The Florida Solar Energy Center, a research institute of the University of Central
Florida, is the largest and most active state-supported energy research center in
the country.  Current research activities include solar water and pool heating,
solar electric and distributed generation systems, energy-efficient buildings,
alternative transportation systems, hydrogen fuel, and other energy areas. For more
information, call the FSEC Public Information Office at (321) 638-1015 or go to 
www.fsec.ucf.edu.