Army Modernization Features Energy

The January 2011 edition of Soldiers Magazine was themed “Modernizing the Force”. The magazine described the Army’s concept for keeping pace with everything from munitions to uniforms in an era of shrinking budgets and an over stretched force. The technologies ranged from GPS guided artillery munitions to bringing back the Light Assault Weapon (LAW). In addition to the suite of unmanned vehicles and robotic surrogates, Army efforts in energy are highlighted in the final articles.

R&D for Soldier power in the form of conformable, rechargeable batteries and propane fuel cells are discussed. Conformable, prismatic lithium ion batteries are commercially available. The real challenges are the propitiatory connectors required for different power using devices. Fuel cells running on JP8 are also under development at TARDEC; this will tamp down the arguments from DLA-E about single fuel on the battlefield.

Another piece discusses how Charlie Troop, 5-73rd CAV ”discovered 25 solar-powered water filtration machines locked up in an old hangar at Forward Operating Base Hammer, east of Baghdad”. The troop repaired and deployed the systems and began providing 30K gallons of water a day on sun power. The unit that replaced the troop took up the mission. A local village leader said. “Saddam couldn’t get us water. Bin Laden couldn’t get us water. Muqtada Al-Sadr couldn’t get us water. Now, the American Soldiers have finally brought us water.”. A great news story, but one wonders what the Army is doing to follow up on that success. The article does not say who produced the systems, who procured them or whether more are being deployed.

A couple of CONUS energy efforts were also featured. A series of small renewable energy projects from solar walls at Fort Drum to “the Army’s largest solar power site” , a 2 MW array at Fort Carson, described in this January 2008 article. No word on the much touted 500 MW arrays planned for Fort Irwin, CA.

A cooperative geothermal exploration program pairs the Navy with the Army to explore the potential for 30 MW of power production at Hawthorne Army Depot, Nevada. The program, begun in December 2009 with an MOA between the departments, is based upon the Navy’s success with their 20 year old, 250 MW plant at China Lake. Their project sells the power to the local utility with the Navy receiving payments from the plant operator. Standing by for news on what the study produces.

This particular article finishes with Doug Waters, manager, Renewable Energy and Net-Zero Energy Installations Program, Facilities Policy Division, ACSIM stating that the Army will bring on 1,500 MW of renewable energy power by 2017. Mr. Waters was the senior Army official quoted in the series of articles. 300 MW a year for the next five years; now that is a bold, audacious goal. We look forward to seeing that plan.

Can Cars Drive DOD Micro Grids? We'll Soon See.

This is about devising the technical means for a "Plan B" so when DOD units lose the steady flow of electrons from extant power grids, they don't lose their ability to fulfill their missions. Last month's amendment to an Army Broad Agency Agreement (BAA) boosted the incentives for integrators to make headway on the "brittle grid" problem facing bases, both CONUS and forward deployed (FOBs). This action seems to build on battlefield energy management work in a program called Army "HI-Power" noted here last year.

Competitors in position to win this R&D funding are already in motion, but others who follow the space more generally may not have seen it yet. Most interesting is the provision for tapping the power storage (see: gas tanks & batteries) and power generation (see: engines) capabilities of vehicles to supplement other forms of power, including standard diesel generators, wind, solar, etc. Thanks to the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), one thing the DOD knows how to do is get fuel to where it's needed.

The short-term schedule for those seeking the $5.7M in first year funds is: 

• Informal Talks: March 5, 2009 thru April 6, 2009 
  
• Proposals Due: April 7, 2009 thru May 7, 2009 
  
• Estimated Award Date: June 22, 2009 
  

From an energy security point of view, this is good stuff; we'll be keeping an eye on it for sure.

Army FCS May Be First Program to Realize Significant Fuel Savings

How would you feel about refuelling a 26 ton Prius? Said diesel-hybrid vehicle may be available in a few years courtesy of the Army Future Combat Systems (FCS) program if it survives the economic and budgetary meltdown that's currently casting a shadow over all the major programs.

This recent article from National Defense Magazine stresses a point that's important to remember: real fuel efficiency gains in DOD systems are waiting out in the future somewhere.  There's simply no way to wave a magic wand over an M-1 Abrams main battle tank or Bradley APC, which get approximately .5 and 1.7 mpg respectively, and get a big boost in efficiency. That these vehicles consume massive amounts of fuel is no surprise, as fuel efficiency (or productivity, as the Army likes to say) has never been a key performance parameter (KPP) during the requirements definition phase of any major program. According to Army Spokesman Pat Mehney:

There are no available statistics for how much fuel savings the entire FCS fleet will achieve once it arrives. The Army estimates that an FCS heavy brigade combat team will consume 29 percent less fuel than its current counterpart, Mehney said. During a 1,864 mile mission lasting several days, a current heavy brigade combat team consumes an estimated 1.3 million gallons of fuel. But an FCS brigade would only consume 942,000 gallons, according to a simulation study conducted by Sandia National Laboratories. On a paved road, the FCS heavy tracked vehicle travels 1.66 miles per gallon. By comparison, the Abrams tank can go 0.52 miles per gallon. 

FCS, with vehicles still in development, seems poised to shake things up a bit. I'm going to keep an eye on it, both in terms of its survival, as well as the extend to which is can design and deliver tactical systems which consume energy in a markedly more efficient manner. If it does, it will signal an important break with the past.

Photo of Army "Non Line of Site (NLOS) Cannon": Army FCS Program Manager site

Lockheed Hot on the Cleantech Trail

Not long ago a Google search for "Lockheed" and "energy" most likely would have produced hits related to airborne lasers and other direct energy weapons. In early 2009, things have surely changed. In fact, I didn't even have to search; the Lockheed "Special Innovation Symposia" found me in an email this morning with a message of support for solar, smart grid and storage R&D. (BTW, if you want to participate in the symposia, you'd better get a move on. Deadline for submissions is 6 March 2009.)

A little searching ensued and I quickly found the obligatory green-branding material on the corporate site. But what I'm far more interested in, is the potential of this historically great company, home of the fabled Skunk Works, to innovate new energy solutions for DOD and perhaps the nation. This is the company, after all, that gave us the P-38, the U-2 and the SR-71, each an engineering miracle.

In particular, would like to see Lockheed turn up the volume on aircraft R&D, to squeeze much more bang out of every JP8 buck, and to imagine flying systems that don't use conventional jet fuel at all. Now that would be impressive.

Photo of U2: Wikimedia Commons

DOD Energy Stimulus Carrots ... and EPA Sticks

We're still in the first week of the Obama administration, and there's already a lot in motion re: DOD energy, as the Congress prepares to giveth and the new EPA readies to taketh away. That is, Congress looks like it's soon going to pass a stimulus plan that includes a small boost for DOD energy research: 

Amid the $825 billion that the U.S. Congress proposes to spend to resuscitate the U.S. economy, there’s a $350 million sliver in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the U.S. military to conduct research into renewable energy .... The proposed legislation does not list specific projects on which the money is to be spent. Rather, “it looks like it is seed money for better ideas,” defense budget analyst Christopher Hellman said.

At the same time, the NY Times reports today that California and about a dozen other states who fought the Bush administration's EPA over for their right to increase fuel economy standards are about to see the tables turn their way and restrict the rights of car makers to sell cars that don't meet set efficiency standards in their markets:

the centerpiece of Monday’s anticipated announcement is Mr. Obama’s directive to the Environmental Protection Agency to begin work immediately on granting California a waiver, under the Clean Air Act, which allows the state, a longtime leader in air quality matters, to set standards for automobile emissions stricter than the national rules.

Not sure if bases in those states will be affected by the new EPA policies, but the Army, with its recent lease of 4,000 electric cars and possibly many more, is ready if they are. Meanwhile, the folks in the Pentagon trying to read the tea leaves are probably having an interesting time keeping track of the all the new policy directions. And it's day 5.

Wave and Wind Power for Coastal Facilties

Not sure why a former Army guy is so interested in getting his feet wet, but West Point grad John Miller is championing a cause that with proper funding, could give the US a big advantage in wave and offshore wind power R&D. (Note: we're far behind Europe at this point).

As the DOD works to identify solutions to the DSB Energy Task Force's recommendation to reduce bases' dependence on the fragile national grid, wave and offshore wind could play a significant role, especially for Navy and Coast Guard installations. John is one of a handful of folks in the US with the foresight and stamina to get the early stage work off the ground, and is proposing to stand up the National Offshore Renewable Energy Innovation Zone between Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and waters to the south.

This region has the perfect mixture of environments to test every type of wave and offshore wind power technology, including lower and higher power wave zones, as well as shallow and deep water wind zones, all in a surprisingly compact area. Key benefits of this approach include:

• Reduced R&D costs and risks
  
• Faster/easier path to market for wave and near shore-wind tech co's
  
• National training site for renewable energy engineers and technicians
  

You can learn more about John's work here, but it's also worth checking out in person: it's a beautiful area, and I'm sure he'd be a great host.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Better Batteries Brewing at Argonne

Energy security takes many forms. In this case, a disparate group of small US researchers and would-be manufacturing co's are banding together to build a better battery. The site they've chosen is the Argonne National Lab in Illinois, a huge DOE facility famous for its role in the Manhattan Project. This excerpt from last week's press release says it all:

Lithium ion batteries are anticipated to replace gasoline as the principal source of energy in future cars and military vehicles. Today, United States automobile manufacturers and defense contractors depend upon foreign suppliers — increasingly concentrated in Asia — for lithium ion battery cells.

I wish these guys a lot of luck for several reasons. The full release is here.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Small Co Pushes Biofuel Flight Envelope

Tiny, Florida-based Green Flight International is a working a fuel problem the military in general, and the Air Force in particular, hope they can solve. With scrutiny and approval from the FAA and some support from Lockheed, Green Flight has just flown a 1960's-era single-engine Czechoslovakian training jet coast-to-coast on a nutritious 50-50 blend of JP8, soy and animal fat.

While the Air Force is currently certifying its inventory to fly on a mixture of JP8 and fuel derived from coal, the benefits of that process seem limited at present. Certainly, fuel from coal is a big energy security gain (the US owns a heck of a lot of coal). But it comes at high economic and environmental costs. So the next generation synthetic fuels in the Air Force's road map include biofuels derived from multiple potential sources. 

Green Flights' demonstrated ability to fly its jet on various types of fuels ... and its upcoming flight test of an algae-based biodiesel, is identifying some options the Air Force might do well to explore in greater depth. More details are in this Scientific American article from last year.

Photo: Green Flight International

Complex New Energy Landscape for DOD R&D

Food for thought: Imagine you're in charge of DARPA or the Office of Naval Research (ONR), or the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) or Army's Research, Development & Engineering Command (RDECOM), and you've been tasked by your service's secretary or the SECDEF to investigate new technologies that can be implemented swiftly to improve DOD's energy posture. Thanks to Greentechmedia for providing a detailed, interactive chart that lets you drill down to examples in each category.

Even with a generous staff of highly competent tech directors and research scientists, do you think you and your team would be able to provide uniformly deep coverage on all of these potentially promising vectors? My point is: these orgs are doing great and important work, and it's incumbent on the rest of the government, industry and academia to give them all the help they can muster.

Meet the Jetsons: 1-Man VTOL Now in Development

A Manassas, Virginia firm is creating a small plane with no pilot on-board. And no human joystick jockey in a remote SCIF either. With Air Force funding, multiple mission options for "Excalibur" are still being explored. But one of them includes serving as a shuttle for one troop: injured for evacuation, or healthy for insertion.

If adopted, the implications for fuel requirements are huge, but also highly uncertain. Would Excalibur help keep larger planes and helicopters on the ground thereby saving tons of fuel? Or would it be a supplement to (or replacement for) what we have already ... like substituting a commuter car for public transportation? What'll be the net energy impact? Inquiring folks should keep an eye on this.

Photo courtesy of Aurora Flight Sciences