Soldiers stationed in remote combat outposts face logistics and safety challenges to power their radios, laptops and GPS units. U.S. Army scientists are researching methods to harness the Sun and wind to ease the burdens associated with transporting fossil fuels to dangerous areas
Marnie de Jong, an electrical engineer with the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), is helping to develop renewable-energy-based microgrids that work independently of traditional grid power. Microgrids help to integrate different sources of energy for more efficient use and storage, she said.
"Microgrids will be able to take solar, wind and batteries and use them together. You can use solar when there is no wind available. Different pieces of the puzzle work better in different places. By making this a solution set, you can take what you need given your location," she said.
To provide alternative power sources to soldiers in combat, de Jong and her colleagues are developing two systems -- Reusing Existing Natural Energy from Wind and Solar (RENEWS), and Renewable Energy for Distributed Undersupplied Command Environments (REDUCE).
RENEWS is designed to power two or three laptops continuously as long as there is power coming daily from the solar panels or wind turbine, she said. The storage component will be able to provide power at peak demand for about five hours when energy is not being generated by the renewable components. The RENEWS components weight about 100 pounds, and it is stored in two cases weighing about 70 pounds each.
The Army intends the RENEWS and REDUCE systems to be complementary, resulting in power-grid technology that addresses power generation, distribution, load, renewables, and storage.
Work on the three-year REDUCE program is in the early stages, de Jong said. It is designed to be towed on a Humvee trailer. The REDUCE integrates renewables with traditional fossil-fuel generators to reduce consumption. The goal is to ease the soldier's work by having the system manage all the power.
The RENEWS and REDUCE systems will also contribute to the Army's goal of increasing energy efficiency and lessening the reliance on fossil fuels, she said. "Renewable energy solutions are helping to reduce the carbon footprint. They generate energy more efficiently on-site from renewable sources. It's good for the Army, good for the soldier, and good for the environment," de Jong said.
