I have written before how the US Armed Forces are concerned about power needs on the battlefield. Today, I will discuss efforts going on in Australia- using solar technology developed and manufactured by a US firm- Transform Solar (Boise, Idaho)- in concert with Origin Energy, an Australian firm.
Soldiers carry a variety of equipment- radios, batteries, night goggles, GPS- all requiring power- typically, battery packs. These devices, with their power supplies and spares, can end up adding 100 pounds to the weight soldiers need to carry.
One way to reduce the weight is to cease using batteries and switch to solar power. That is the goal of this research effort, under the supervision of Dr. Andrew Blakers at the Australian National University (ANU). His goal is to use “Sliver Cells” to solve the problem. The Sliver Cells were developed by the Center for Sustainable Energy Systems in Australia.
The Sliver cell is a very thin solar cell that can be affixed to the soldier’s helmets or armor. Or, it can also be deployed on tents. One of the interesting facts, is they can be manufactured to have a wide range of transparency.
The cells are made by slicing conventional silicon wafers to pieces 50-100 mm long, 1-2 mm wide, and 45 um thick (about 1 ½ times the thickness of human hair). When these slivers are combined together (as shown in the picture above), they can yield some 140 W/m2, and being so thin they use significantly less silicon than a conventional cell and fewer of them to generate their energy. You can see a video describing how these cells are made here.
This research project has a budget of $ 1 million and is expected to be completed by the end of next year (2012).
I am a big fan of solar power, when I first saw solar powered Christmas lights I was excited. I think it’s great that this research project is in effect, I can’t wait to see the outcome in 2012 🙂
Karla:
Solar powered Xmas lights? Where do they store the power? After all, don’t we want the lights to work at night?
Storage of power that is developed via solar is one of the key study issues right now.
Roy
That is a fascinating story about breakthrough technology Roy. While it’s unlikely that solar energy will significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels – it is an incredible step forward.
Tor-
The military can “afford” to pay more per unit of power, when there is no need for transportation. The transportation of fuel puts troops at risk and adds to the costs- dramatically.
So, they are leading the way in testing other sources out. One can only hope that the “Moore’s Law” curve applies here, as well.
Roy
Nice to see some good research coming out of Australia (my home country). We certainly do get plenty of sun down there to test out those solar cells.
I have always been interested in solar technology. The big problem yet to be solved is storing the energy. It seems solar technology has come a long way but not the accompanying technology to store that energy.
Danny:
Thanks for your visit AND your comments.
Yes, this research is certainly being coordinated by Australia!
And, yes, energy storage is the key point. Not for small systems, but some of the processes being examined is to pump water to a higher level and then use water power (Coming downhill) when the sun is not powerful enough to supply the needs. Others are looking into thermoconversion of salts, which are easily reversible reactions, and can liberate the stored energy upon re-conversion.
Roy
Well Australia is sunny
What happens to soldiers in dark places for long periods of time?
Go Aussie researchers! Some amazing stuff going on in this country : )
I knew you’d love this one, Janine!
We’ll see where this goes soon.
Roy
I thought it was really interesting that the Australian military cooperates with an American high tech firm, Roberta.
Thanks for your comments.
Roy
I’m really pleased to hear that the American government is taking steps like this. They can’t really be accused of embracing alternative ideas very well, so this is refreshing! I hope that it truly comes about because our troops need all the help they can get. So glad to see this post!
Actually, the Pentagon is spending big on alternative fuels, because logistics (fuel supply) puts troops at risk and costs a fortune for deliveries. But, that was discussed in the previous article. This one covered the Australian Army, using American developed technology.
Roy