Energy Harvesting Technology Needs for the Built Environment, Realistic Requirements (Energy Harvesting and Storage Europe 2011)

Nicholas Soldner is a Senior Research Engineer at the United Technologies Research Center and is developing energy harvesting and communications technologies for UTC's Aerospace and Commercial product divisions. His current focus is the development of in-building wireless sensor systems that are maintenance free and that allow integration of UTC's building products to enable increased energy efficiency and security. He holds degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and General Motors Engineering and Management Institute with a focus on electromagnetic physics and RF design.

United Technologies Research Center (UTRC), the corporate research center for United Technologies Corporation, is headquartered in East Hartford, CT. UTRC plays a key role as the corporation's innovation engine, focusing on advanced technologies. The center employs approximately 600 research scientists, engineers, and support staff (85% of technical staff have advanced degrees). UTRC performs basic, applied and exploratory research in a broad spectrum of technologies including chemical sciences, fluid mechanics, electronics materials and structures, information technology, and systems technology. The center has component and system level modeling tools, material development laboratories, fabrication and characterization laboratories, and combustion test facilities for component and prototype system testing.