U.S. Army Deploys Solar Power Backpacks In Afghanistan

cleantechnica.com:

The legendary competition between the branches of the U.S. armed forces has taken on a sustainable twist. Take portable solar power, for example. The Marines just introduced a portable solar power system this spring, and a few weeks later the Air Force kicked in with a portable solar system of its own. Now the U.S. Army has entered the fray with a portable battery recharging kit called the Rucksack Enhanced Portable Power System (REPPS), which features a 62-watt solar panel "blanket" tucked into a backpack. The system was just deployed in Afghanistan this summer.

Read the whole story: cleantechnica.com

Comments

[OdinsEye]

06:50 PM on 09/19/2010

I have seen Brunton and other "roll up" or foldable solar power panels in theater for years as well as small boxy solar power battery chargers for AA batteries.

[Christian Schultz]

04:56 PM on 09/17/2010

I'm in the Army. And it surprises most of the civilians I know to find out some of the huge steps we take to go green.
Even back home on post we do some interesting things. I wish some of those stories the press would focus on.
It's nice to know we are doing our part. We take that stuff back home and when guys return to the civilian world they have that experience as well.

[FranklinCat]

03:10 PM on 09/17/2010

How much solar power could be produced if trains had panels deployed on their roofs? Even if it's not enough to power the train it could be fed into the grid to reduce CO2-producing generation.

[Benover de Viros]

02:16 PM on 09/17/2010

Give me a brake!

[Genders]

11:01 PM on 09/26/2010

eh?

[Kevin Atlanta]

01:37 PM on 09/15/2010

Amazing that the Military deploys solar but the Corporate Fascists at home have the grid on lock-down sucking up oil, coal and nuclear to destroy the Earth...

Have to get those Military Contractors positioned for monopolies once the masses revolt against this war...

Why do we need solar power guarding Opium Poppies for the Oligarchy?

[Genders]

11:02 PM on 09/26/2010

Why was this abusive? reread the huff comment policy. Faved and fanned.

[Myzter]

12:04 PM on 09/15/2010

wow 62 watts equals 10 pounds of weight, with a foldable solar panel.. pretty heavy really.
The article does say advances are being made and weight will come down...

I added 50 watts of solar to a electric bike and without the steel mounting hardware the panels weight was approx. 5 pounds only.
http://www.thekpv.com
The Hybrid Electric Kinetic Photovoltaic Vehicle

[OdinsEye]

07:42 PM on 09/19/2010

Much of the weight comes from the controller and all the adapters.

[Genders]

11:07 PM on 09/26/2010

http://www.army.mil/-news/2010/08/02/43176-army-deploys-innovative-battery-recharging-kit/ It's low glint, and from the size, I would guess it's thin film. That limits the eff. If they used state of the art 38% cells they would only need a square panel about .4 meters on a sides, about 1.5 feet.

[tjconkster]

07:13 AM on 09/15/2010

The Ohio State Highway Patrol installed solar panels in their cruisers a year ago in an effort to save fuel.....Troopers shut off the cruiser several times a day....to conserve fuel...the solar panels run the radios and re-charge the cruiser's battery while they are stationary....

[MAJK]

02:38 AM on 09/15/2010

Yeah, we already know that solar power is good, Mr. Military.

Too bad it took you 7.5 years, thousands of lives lost and a trillions of dollars to figure out we should look elsewhere for energy.

All the while, the rest of America continues to wait... for their time in the sun.

[lkgilles]

09:05 AM on 09/16/2010

What? Your post does not make any sense.

How did the military lose thousand of lives trying to figure out they should look for energy elsewhere?

You are waiting for solar? Go out and install solar panels at your house if you want.

[MAJK]

05:59 PM on 09/17/2010

If you read the story, it claims that the military is making alternative energy popular and viable. Something they figured out after realizing oil was no longer an option...

I didn't need two wars and thousands of lives lost to figure out that solar power was good for the country. (as the story claims)

[Christian Schultz]

04:58 PM on 09/17/2010

Do you feel better after your tirade? Or just a false feeling of moral superiority.

Funny how it's Mr. Military and not Mr. Politicians who led us down the path and continue to do so.

I love those who hate the military. They never have a clue about actual reality.

[MAJK]

05:57 PM on 09/17/2010

Let me now where on my post that I say I hate the military.

[spartanmom]

10:31 PM on 09/14/2010

"Each REPPS weighs only ten pounds."

When you're already carrying 80 pounds on your back up a mountain, who's going to notice "only" ten more?

[tjconkster]

07:11 AM on 09/15/2010

Maybe...your knees.....

[jsarets]

09:41 AM on 09/15/2010

Probably lighter than the larger battery it effectively replaces. The biggest challenge of the networked "land warrior" concepts is the weight of the battery required to power all of their electronic equipment for a long enough time.

[mothergrace]

07:44 PM on 09/14/2010

Innovative solutions such as this can be created to provide alternative energy for every need.

[OkieMon]

05:56 PM on 09/14/2010

why not? there's lots of sun in A-stan.....

[aligatorhardt]

05:44 PM on 09/14/2010

Solar energy is the best choice for remote locations. For military uses the fact that there is no smoke or sound is another advantage. The ability to make small modules and connect them together gives new convenience to setting up a remote area. This is a perfect use for small scale, point of use solar power.

[sloreader]

09:52 PM on 09/14/2010

It's a great choice for urban environments in northern latitudes too... google germany solar power fo more.

[NWBrunette]

04:50 PM on 09/14/2010

So... if you spend enough time, energy and lives on killing people in foreign lands eventually you'll run in to side benefit.

[sloreader]

09:56 PM on 09/14/2010

Then again, the availability of foreign oil due to our expensive military efforts may have delayed the development of technology otherwise necessary for the 21st century.

[alan of springcanyon]

01:41 AM on 09/15/2010

Enough oil to delay for about 3 weeks. Our war machine uses a LOT of oil. More than ever before.