Mobile Power Sources
Written by Steve Goodman
GCT 2011 Volume: 2 Issue: 6 (November/December)
When you hear the term “military power,” what comes to mind? If you are like most people, it is an image of the prodigious military might of the U.S. armed forces, which are arguably the most powerful, the best trained, the most lethal warfighters in the world. But to ground troops and support strategists, “military power” also has another meaning: electric power requirements.
“There is a broad need for energy-efficient, standalone products to support security, development and disaster recovery, and other military operations worldwide, ranging from what would equate to base-level operations, to the small teams of soldiers performing missions as fast-moving, mobile ‘islands’ of sorts,” said Melissa G. Burns, vice president of marketing and project management for Princeton, N.J.-based WorldWater & Solar Technologies Inc.
WorldWater provides DoD with solar-powered water purification systems that can also generate off-grid power via their photovoltaic collectors. Burns said the need for clean water and power in theater are inextricably linked. “We focus on the nexus between power delivery and water delivery. While the power generated by our products can be used to power any tool or application, the use of distributed power platforms to support distributed water delivery platforms is critical for work done and people operating in any remote area.” Twenty-five of WorldWater’s Mobile MaxPure (MMP) units were recently installed by paratroopers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division along the Tigris River in Iraq.
Energy availability has long been a limiting factor in military operations. Access to expeditionary or “off-grid” power has always been a challenge for forward units. Today, with increased network-centric operations and a greater reliance on sophisticated field electronics and digital communications technologies, it is even more so. Having access to reliable sources of “off-grid” power not only reduces the warfighters’ logistical footprint, in the case of solar powered solutions, it also reduces reliance on fossil fuels. And that translates into fewer fuel truck convoys for enemies to target.
But no matter the source, even if it is more traditional gasoline or diesel powered generators, one thing is certain: Energy is power. Tactical electronics are a key force multiplier to today’s ground troops. Night vision equipment, image intensification devices, laser rangefinders, GPS, and long-range and short-range communications equipment are just a small sample of the current and growing list of such energy-hungry devices.
But their use is limited by battery life and access to the ability to recharge in the field. Beyond that, forward bases simply need power just to function. “We’re turning the lights on, we’re powering the environmental control unit, we’re powering the radios, the galley that cooks the food,” said Doug Moorehead, president of Earl Energy, of Portsmouth, Va. “For the most part, that is powered by a diesel generator that is running 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” Earl Energy is developing and fielding technology that is designed to make those Tactical Quiet Generators (TQG) much more efficient.
The military’s provider of tactical electric power is Project Manager Mobile Electric Power (PM MEP). The mission of PM MEP is to “provide standardized tactical electric power and environmental control capabilities to the Department of Defense in support of national security.”
On September 7, 2011, Colonel Brian P. Cummings assumed the role of project manager of PM MEP. Among the major projects Cummings has inherited from his predecessor are the Army’s first micro-grid, which is currently installed at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, and production of the next generation of standard tactical generators, which will be shipped to Afghanistan starting later this year. As a DoD project manager, Mobile Electric Power supplies equipment to all branches along with the Army, serving as a central hub for power system expertise, training and research.
The PM MEP portfolio of equipment includes several classes of conventional generators, as well as power distribution equipment, environmental control units and hybrid system prototypes that use solar power and other alternative energy sources.
Power Players
Energy Technologies Inc., of East Mansfield, Ohio, supplies a complete line of off-grid solutions from tactical generators to fuel cells. ETI’s Military Power line includes commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and Mil Spec “smart” uninterruptible power supply units, frequency converters, power distribution units and battery systems. The “smart” features include the ability to field monitor and control the equipment and modulate their loads by remote control interfaces. Their WorldPower versions are designed to operate from all worldwide voltages and frequencies, including aircraft or vehicular power.
DRASH, a division of DHS Technologies LLC, is best known for the Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter, or DRASH, for which it is named. DRASH, based in Orangeburg, N.Y., has designed what it calls Intelligent Power Technology, or IPT. IPT delivers maximum power with minimal fuel consumption by allowing multiple generators to operate together in parallel, creating what amounts to a deployable power grid. “Smart” chips within these digital generators allow them to be turned on and off without affecting one another to respond to changes in power requirements. When combined with the DRASH utility support transport trailer, you get mobility and networked power, in any terrain accessible to military vehicles. Field tests of these smart digital generators have shown fuel savings of anywhere from 13 to 20 percent over the use of standard “analog” generators. “Although relatively new, several DRASH IPT trailers can found in multiple locations around the world with U.S. and NATO forces,” said Ken Sincerbox, communications specialist with DHS. Some specific Department of Defense programs that IPT trailers support include: Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, Harbormaster command and control center, Patriot battery command post, mobile tower system, and long-endurance multi intelligence vehicle.
Cummins Power Generation, a division of Cummins Inc., provides PM MEP with its advanced medium mobile power source (AMMPS). AMMPS was designed to replace the aging fleet of the Army’s TQGs under PM MEP’s tactical electric power portfolio. According to Cummins, the advantage of AMMPS over TQG is that it provides “smaller, lighter, more fuel-efficient power in the field, with a 21 percent improvement in fuel consumption. Cummins Power Generation Americas is located in Minneapolis.
It is important to point out that technology and systems such as AMMPS and IPT, which are designed to boost the efficiency of traditional diesel generators, save a lot more than fuel. According to a 2003-2007 Army study, one out of eight Marine fatalities are killed protecting fuel convoys. “It’s a very serious problem,” said Moorehead. “There is the cost that is way beyond just the cost of fuel. That is why we are so passionate about this.”
Moorehead, a SOF veteran, has dedicated himself to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy and energy management technology to help DoD maintain operation readiness, and at the same time reduce its massive fuel demands.
“Our technology allows our military customers to save on their costs of energy, to reduce their needs to resupply, to take what they have and make it more economical and efficient,” he said. The system is called FlexGen. It allows the diesel generator to run only for brief periods of time at its most efficient loads, takes that energy and stores it in batteries, which are then used to provide power as needed. As the battery power begins to run low, the diesel generator automatically turns back on to recharge the batteries, creating an energy generating and fuel savings cycle. “In the first units we deployed with the Marine Corps we saw a 60 percent reduction in diesel fuel consumption, and in testing with the special forces we just concluded [in September 2011], we saw a 69 percent reduction in consumption.”
Here Comes the Sun
A typical three-day mission in Afghanistan requires a soldier to haul along about 20 pounds of batteries, from tiny AAs for night vision goggles to large brick-size packs used in tactical radios. An average infantry battalion on a one-year deployment will burn through roughly $150,000 worth of batteries.
According to the Government Accountability Office, the DoD spent over $2 billion on tactical power sources between 2006 and 2010, but that investment has done little to lighten the battery load on ground troops. Many expeditionary power experts believe the best chance to do that is with solar power.
“The use of solar power to solve many of the challenges of light weight, reliability and sufficient power to perform mission-critical activities has distinct advantages,” said WorldWater’s Burns. “Even under cloudy conditions, solar panels produce power. They also come in a variety of configurations including foldable, flexible and glass, which presents a great many options in terms of weight and footprint.”
WorldWater is not the only supplier of expeditionary power to DoD that is looking up for its solutions. Powerenz of Kennesaw, Ga., provides a variety of military spec and made-to-order custom off-grid solar solutions, including several man-carried, lightweight sling packs. Marines have been looking at folding “power mats” such as the one designed by SBM Solar of Concord, N.C., and the Solar Tactical Advanced Recharger, manufactured by Energy Masters, and distributed by Sunshine Works of Winchester, Tenn.
Earl Energy’s Moorehead explained that technology that improves the efficiency of existing diesel generators is just the start. DoD is seeing the value in turning toward renewable sources such as wind and solar. “[Diesel generators] are not going away any time soon. They will continue to be the primary power-producing asset for some time to come on the battlefield. Renewables are a great secondary way to augment and supplement diesel power, but for now, our primary goal is to improve the efficiency of existing generators, and we are accomplishing that.” Moorehead said that by integrating solar cells into a FlexGen system being used by a Marine unit in Afghanistan, they were able to add an additional 7 percent fuel savings to the already 60 percent achieved by the standalone system.
Future Generations
PM MEP is also actively pursuing and supporting research into alternative portable power technologies, one of the most promising of which may be man-portable fuel cells. According to a recent Pike Research Report, “military man-portable applications such as remote monitoring/sensing and mobile soldier power remain a strong area of focus for fuel cell developers, and are expected to be the largest revenue category for portable fuel cells.” An oxide fuel cell developed by Delphi of Troy, Mich., is already being tested for use in Marine convoy vehicles that will allow troops to power devices such as GPS, comms gear and laptops, when turning the engine off while idling at check points. It does use fuel, but converts it directly to electricity, which is more efficient.
Developing and future technologies aside, PM MEP remains a critical partner in the military’s aggressive efforts to reduce its energy footprint while ensuring troops’ power needs are met. Initiatives such as AMMPS, centralized power systems for command posts and proven smart micro-grid technologies all cut down on the amount of fossil fuel needed to produce power.
GPS, the Internet, and many of the other technologies that civilians take for granted had their origins in DoD programs. It is only a matter of time before military portable power also goes the tactical-topractical route, and these innovations trickle down to consumer and commercial applications, reducing overall U.S. demand for fossil fuels.
“At the end of the day I think the military is the flagship customer, for energy efficiency technology,” said Moorehead, “because there isn’t any other consumer that pays a higher dollar per kilowatt-hour delivered than does the military on the battlefield. ♦