A report coinciding with President Barack Obama’s first weekly radio address in January 2009 indicated that his administration has set a goal of doubling the domestic renewable energy-generating capacity over the next 3 years. For one segment within DOD, less dependence on fossil fuels has been an ongoing goal for reasons related to both financial costs and human lives.

The military has placed a great deal of emphasis on examining energy usage in both Iraq and Afghanistan because of the recent surge in fuel prices and the nature of casualties in theater, according to Paul Richard, Deputy Project Manager (PM) for Mobile Electric Power (MEP). “Casualties are being taken in supply convoys of Soldiers who are getting hit by improvised explosive devices [IEDs] while bringing fuel to the battlefield,” Richard said. “How do you minimize the risks to Soldiers getting hit by IEDs? You shrink the supply convoys. How do you do that? You shrink the amount of fuel being carted out to the battlefield.”

Since generators have been identified as the single largest consumer of fuel on the battlefield during wartime, the Army has shown a sizable interest in diminishing the amount of fuel transported for generators. The result is the present push for renewable energies. green technology emits a minuscule amount of carbon, if any.

PM MEP displayed some of its green command post (CP) technologies at the Joint Users’ Interoperability Communications Exercise (JUICE) held in June at Fort Monmouth, NJ. During the exercise, a Global Rapid Response Information Package (GRRIP) system ran nearly 100 percent of the time from a solar power system provided by Solar Stik. The GRRIP is a fully deployable communications center, tailored around a secure satellite network.

Solar Stik
The Solar Stik is a tripod system with a pair of 50-watt rigid-panel solar arrays used to capture solar energy. The tripod can also be outfitted with an optional wind turbine that is capable of producing up to an additional 200 watts of power.

Setting up the lightweight, easily transportable system is simple. The first step is identifying the sun’s location in the setup area. Next, the user aligns the system’s mast to bring in a maximum amount of sunlight. These masts can be redirected to pull in the maximum amount of solar energy. “Within minutes you can have the system up, connected, and pulling in power,” Richard said. “They can probably have these systems easily set up much faster than they would all of the communications gear that is in the CP tent. So it’s quick, it’s fast, and it’s easy to set up.”

PM MEP is examining renewable energy technologies that sat inside and surrounded the green CP as future options for powering the battlefield. The green CP has not been tested in actual battlefield terrains similar to those of Iraq and Afghanistan or during an actual unit’s pre-deployment rotation at a combat training center. Today, solar energy is only used to charge batteries on the battlefield.

So far, tests have shown that renewable energy is most useful for smaller power levels of up to about 3 kilowatts. “For small power applications, if you have access to the sunlight, the terrain isn’t so much of an issue, as long as you have enough [sunlight],” Richard said. “If you want to try to go for large power applications, then you may need a football field-sized piece of land to be able to set up enough solar panels to generate the larger power output.”

Applying Green Power
This doesn’t negate green power’s suitability for the battlefield. However, this energy needs to be applied in niche applications where the amount of power required and the available terrain and climatic conditions are suitable for the use of renewable energies. PM MEP is partaking in studies with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Denver, CO, to identify cases in which solar, wind, or other renewable energy technologies might be advantageous.

The solar and wind power data that PM MEP captured and logged at JUICE will be used in conjunction with data modeling research from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This will determine the tactical battlefield applications that are best suited for implementing solar technology and reducing fuel costs.

“Some of the studies we are doing with the National Renewable Energy Lab are showing that to get the greatest benefits out of solar [energy], you really need to be in a situation where you can turn the generators off completely, and then you are just on solar power or working from stored energy capacity,” Richard said. Tests are underway to evaluate the green CP’s ruggedness, along with its capacity and quality for power. Power capacity determines how much power a system can generate continually.

To meet military standards, systems are required to operate in various climatic conditions, including temperatures of 25 degrees below zero and up to 135 degrees, as well as during rain, snow, sleet, high winds, and at altitudes up to 8,000 feet. In addition, energy systems must be able to survive the shock and vibrations associated with military transport by land, sea, or air, as well as military-unique environments, including electromagnetic interference, electromagnetic pulses from nuclear attacks, and contamination and decontamination if exposed to chemical or biological weapons attacks.

More Solar Energy Technologies
Also on display at JUICE was a Base-X tent with flexible solar panels incorporated onto its roof. These panels can produce 1,200 watts of power at peak conditions. A “tent fly” structure with solar panels that can be draped over an existing structure or ground vehicle was also showcased.

“Peak conditions would be if each of the solar panels on the roof were facing the optimal angle of the sun, and they were at that angle all day long,” Richard said. “Obviously they can’t be at that angle all day long because it’s a fixed tent. So, it will naturally pull in less than 1.2 kilowatts of rated power.”

Also on display was the Solar Power Mod system, similar to a sail from a sailboat that is staked into the ground. It also uses flexible solar panel technology similar to the Base-X tent’s roof and is rated for 750 watts of power at peak conditions.

Power management systems available for the Solar Stik, Base-X, and Solar Power Mod systems can store energy in batteries. Multiple batteries can be used to increase energy storage capacity for present or future needs. Additionally, some systems can simultaneously produce green and conventional power from generators. These systems represent significant steps toward greener energy for the military and less reliance on fossil fuels as our warfighters continue their operations overseas.