Walter Mérida
Professor
walter.merida@ubc.ca
Home Department: Mechanical Engineering
Website: Mérida Labs
Research Interests
- Hydrogen Technologies
- Energy Systems
- Cities and Communities
Research Projects
- A Smart Hydrogen Energy District (SHED): Merida Labs have built a city-scale, innovation platform for energy system design. Located next to a sub-station at the corner of Wesbrook Mall and Thunderbird Boulevard on our Vancouver campus, the project will transform a city block into a smart-energy district. They have integrated common urban assets (e.g., electric vehicles, hydrogen refuelling stations, solar plants and buildings) to develop new technologies and economic models for individuals, cities and utilities.
- Hydrogen Systems: Merida Labs are working on fuel cells, electrolyzers, and hydrogen generation technologies. They are developing the next generation of energy technologies and system architectures for a low-carbon economy. They focus on hydrogen because it can link renewable resources to scalable services.
- Advanced Air Mobility: Beyond aviation and personal transportation, the future of air mobility includes aerial infrastructure monitoring, package delivery, search and rescue missions, natural disaster relief, and telecommunications. Using the campus as a living laboratory, Merida Labs created an innovation platform for land-controlled drones. Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) delivery missions (medicines, packages, etc.) will be enabled by a 5G network.In early April 2021, they flew Canada’s first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over a 5G network. They are now working on zero-emission solutions for long-range operation.