Future Energy Solutions for the Battlefield

"Stand back, I'm doing Science."

It feeds off of your misery.

                Here in Cadet-Land, energy and environmental issues merely serve as an excuse for someone to take away our beloved mini-fridges, futons, rugs, and Bonsai trees.  After three long years of waiting for the moment where Firstie privileges can finally be enjoyed, they are snatched away from us with severe violence of action.  In Real-Army-Land, however, energy issues involve making changes that actually matter.  Changes that the certain someone who took away our mini-fridges and beloved plants should really be addressing.

That "someone" just happens to wear this Environmental Officer rank.

                The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) has been busy searching for ways to meet, sustain, and improve the energy requirements of the Army.  The Army’s demands are summed up in the Army's Operational Energy Strategy, which includes the critical goal of ‘net zero’ energy use.  The best way for the ARL to meet this goal involves addressing multiple sectors that comprise operational energy, including: energy storage, alternative sources, power converters, and energy grids.  The plan is to ‘develop something that could be valuable to Soldiers 15 to 20 years from now – based on what we know today’. 

 

"Stand back, I'm about to make Science all over this table."

 

Why it’s Important:

SmartBED - Chocked full of Science.

                Now I could dive into a bunch of technical mumbo-jumbo that covers the platforms that the ARL is currently developing, but even the Army’s official news website has yet to cover each of these platforms.  These platforms, ‘Smart Battlefield Energy on-Demand (SmartBED)’, ‘Long-lived Power’, and ‘Fuel-Reforming’ are all going to be individually covered in a continuation of this energy news series.  To sum things up, the Army is looking at energy as an infrastructure, addressing the key issues of getting energy to soldiers whenever needed, while not wasting a single bit whenever it is not needed.  When those key points are covered, then the Army can work on breaking down the finer details like making individual devices more efficient, maintainable, and easy to operate.

                Before the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Army has had little issue meeting energy demands in theater over the past three decades.  The logic seemed to revolve around having enough fuel to power generators and pumping out the latest technology that was energy efficient.  Even better than those concerns was the fact that an entire war could be won in a matter of hours.  However, over the past several years of drawn-out conflicts, the Army has taken notice of long-term energy management, and the fact that the current methods of getting energy to the battlefield are inherently wasteful.  Having a long-lasting piece of equipment might be nice, but it doesn’t fix an energy issue when you’re using wasteful methods to charge the device in the first place.  Because of this, the Army has realized that the future of operational energy must be addressed at the very core level.

"Wow, just look at all of that Science."

Future Concerns:

                Everything that has been covered relates to the future of Army operational energy.  It is essential that our Army has taken notice of these energy concerns now, and has put in the effort to ensure that our future energy problems are easily manageable, and are not the result of a flaw in the entire energy process.  With the future on the minds of those operating in the present, the Army can greatly increase the likelihood of operational success in upcoming years, and essential programs that take time to develop can be started now.  Once again, while it’s great that individual pieces of equipment can be bettered and made more efficient, the Army is looking at making the entire energy system more efficient, and that is what will impact future operations the most.

“Six bells and all is well. Another week shot to hell. Another week in my little gray cell. Another week in which to excel. Oh, hell." - The Sunday Night Poop (Old Corps knowledge.... The Corps Has)

  

Prisoner #8639-2, reporting back to my little gray cell.