The Marines are looking to portable solar-collection gear like this to power up.
One thing the war in Afghanistan has taught the Pentagon: even the lightest of U.S. forces — that would be the Marine Corps – relies too much on fuel to keep its generators humming to keep its lights, air conditioners and computers running.
All that fuel has to get to the leathernecks’ remote outposts somehow. That’s still dangerous in Afghanistan, where airdrops have become the delivery method of choice to sustain troops in the field (that gets costly: the full cost of a gallon of fuel in Afghanistan, including shipping, has been pegged at $400). In fact, the Marines have just indefinitely extended the use of its unmanned K-MAX chopper to continue such missions, even as the U.S. withdraws (video below).
One way to cut down on transporting heavy fuel is to tap into the lighter stuff from the Sun.
On Monday, the corps awarded a $7.8 million contract to a California company
for the procurement of 1,563 solar power adaptors (SPA II) in support of the program manager, Expeditionary Power Systems. The 1,563 solar power adaptors will be procured to meet continuing need for these items in support of on-going deployed operations, equipment reset, and commonality across the Marine Corps. The second generation solar power adaptor (SPA II) is the solar energy collector, electronic control, and energy storage mechanism of a tactically deployable renewable energy system that is light enough to be man-portable. The SPA II is planned for usage by the various Marine Corps communities in rugged and austere environments to power radios, computers, and charge multiple types of batteries.
Solar Fi!