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Harnessing the sun's energy is one of the ways the military can reduce
Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway tours one of several energy-saving exhibits at Quantico.
Brig. Gen. Robert Hedelund says the less fuel the military must transport, the better. |
By RUSTY DENNEN
Each time a gallon of diesel fuel or fresh water makes its way to Marines in forward operating bases in Afghanistan, it puts them at risk.
That's because supply convoys are vulnerable to roadside bombs, the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in the war zone.
To help counter the threat, Marines are going green--and it has nothing to do with uniforms. They're adopting green technologies to stretch supplies of fuel, water and energy, thereby limiting Marines' exposure on the road.
Some of the equipment is already showing up in rugged forward outposts--cutting-edge solar panels that significantly reduce diesel needed to run generators, and water-purification pods.
Just how high a priority it is was evident at Friday's first-ever Experimental Forward Operating Base exhibition at Quantico.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway, who has mentioned the need for energy conservation and sustainability efforts in several speeches, stopped by about a dozen booths to see it for himself.
Surrounded by a phalanx of other Marine brass, he asked questions and talked to a few of the vendors.
One of them was Ron Mason, technical sales director of PowerFilm, of Ames, Iowa, which bonds flexible solar-power cells to tent fabric.
The company's PowerShade is a large tent with partial sides that sits over a tent that might be used for a command post, clinic or mess hall in the field.
The solar cells on the roof, about as thick and flexible as an envelope, provide two kilowatts of power an hour to run equipment and electronics. If the tent it is sheltering is air-conditioned, he said, that will require about 40 percent less power from a generator.
"We're deployed in Afghanistan," he said, with about 40 in use throughout the military.
Mason said the military is aggressively evaluating new technology.
"The Marine Corps is way ahead of the curve in doing these types of things," he said.
Robert Park, president of Shift Power Solutions of Encinitas, Calif., was showing off his company's energy-management system that uses solar panels and lithium battery-storage to supplement generator power. It can cut fuel consumption by 43 percent.
Two 5-gallon fuel cans and a generator were positioned in front of the display.
"To move that 10 gallons of fuel costs lives, and it's a dollar issue. If you burn up generators, you have to replace them," Park said.
He said it's no surprise the military is getting greener.
"It's not counterintuitive," said Park, who retired from the Marine Corps last year. "The question is: 'How can I do this better and smarter?'"
As for the cost? He smiled, saying only, "It's kind of pricey."
Brig. Gen. Robert F. Hedelund, vice chief of naval research and commander of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab, said afterward, "This is a big effort that has the commandant's attention."
The concept is simple: "The less stuff you have to take in and out, the better. Across the board, some of these solutions can help lighten the load."
Power, water and shelter were the focus of Friday's "ExFOB," the first step in a four-prong program to evaluate the most promising off-the-shelf technology.
Gen. Conway didn't speak to reporters but was quoted in a brochure for the event: "The daily effort required to meet the energy needs of our Marines in Afghanistan is compelling.
"It demands that we work smartly to integrate reliable, alternative and renewable energy sources to reduce our current demand and the risk inherent in moving fuel across the battlefield."
Rusty Dennen: 540/374-5431
Email: rdennen@freelancestar.com
