nuclear-news

Decentralised solar energy for use by USA soldiers

U.S. Army tests renewable energy systems for soldiers in the field GizMag, By Antonio Pasolini, May 16, 2012   In a bid to mitigate the risks associated with fuel transportation and to make soldiers’ work less technically complex, U.S. military scientists have started to test microgrids that would provide clean energy to soldiers in the field. Since 2009,
scientists from the Communications-Electronics Research, Development
and Engineering Center (CERDEC) have been developing two systems –
RENEWS and REDUCE – which are being tested at the Fort Irwin National
Training Center in California, and by U.S. Africa Command.
RENEWS mixes solar, wind power and batteries into a “solution set”
that allows soldiers the flexibility to tap the energy source that is
available at a given location. It was designed to power small
communications systems in remote locations, to which transporting fuel
could be a dangerous task. In fact, safety is a major motivation
behind the project, since two percent of fuel truck convoys are
attacked.

The system can power two or three laptops continuously and store
enough energy for five hours to cover periods of no generation. The
components may sound a bit heavy for civilian standards, but are
probably quite light for the military, weighing in at 100 pounds (45.3
kg). They are stored in two cases weighing about 70 pounds (31.7 kg)
each…..
Besides offering safety and practicality, the innovation also makes
environmental and economic sense. The U.S. Army is a massive consumer
of energy, guzzling 90 percent of all the energy consumed by the
federal government. Therefore, embracing renewable energy can make its
operations more sustainable.

The Army is not the only group embracing clean tech, though. Recently
the U.S. Navy ran tests on a mix of petroleum and algae-based marine
diesel, that powered a ship sailing between Everett, Washington and
San Diego.   http://www.gizmag.com/us-army-microgrid-renewable-energy/22542/

May 17, 2012 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | decentralised, USA