Renewable Energy World - magazine

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SOLAR COGEN: PREPARING FOR TAKEOFF

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011 57

190 W per panel and 460 W thermal. Newform Energy state that

these panels can produce up to 30% more electricity than an

equivalent PV panel at peak irradiance, though annual average

output is about 12% higher. A system can therefore be congured

to produce the same amount of energy from 16 m

of roof space

that conventional photovoltaics and solar thermal would produce

from 22 m

So, what does the future hold for PV/T? Photovoltaic systems

(including solar cogeneration as a special class) all rely on

semiconductor cells, arranged and encapsulated within modules

that convert incident sunlight into electricity. Conversion efciency

from sunlight into DC electricity varies depending on the type of cell.

Modules based on silicon cells, the most common type, typically

range from 15% for multi-crystalline silicon to 20% for the more

expensive mono-crystalline variety. High-end mono-crystalline

modules are expected to approach 25% over the next few years but

will command a very high price.

Exotic multi-junction devices made from compound

semiconductors can exceed 40% conversion efciency, but are so

expensive that currently their only practical application is in satellites.

Thin-lm devices offer lower efciencies of 6%–12% at lower cost,

but the balance of system, engineering and installation costs can

outweigh purchase savings in some scenarios.

At California commercial utility rates, solar cogeneration systems

already deliver nearly twice the economic savings of a comparably

sized CPV or PV system, says Almogy. PV/T’s total delivered energy

potential dramatically changes the economics of solar power much

faster than striving only to push down the cost, in his view. Solar

cogen can also leverage all the complementary ongoing advances

in PV. As PV cells, modules, manufacturing techniques and inverters

improve in performance and decline in cost year over year, new solar

cogeneration systems benet in lockstep.

Integrating hot water into the customer’s water systems does add

a further cost of as much as 20% of the total installation. Yet even

after accounting for these costs and their associated efciency factors,

solar cogeneration still produces 50% more net energy value than PV/

CPV per dollar invested, proponents of the various solar thermal hybrid

technologies argue.

Solimpeks, a Turkish manufacturer of solar thermal and hybrid

collectors, says it expects PV-T to grow at an annual rate of 20%

from 2010, driven largely by the domestic market. In northern

Europe, for example, Solimpeks says a 25 m

area of collector would

typically be enough for both an average home’s hot water and its

electrical demand. The hybrid solar heating and electric technology

is at the start of an exponential growth curve, and volume adoption

is set to take off.

Chis Webb is a freelance correspondent of Renewable Energy

World magazine

e-mail: rew@pennwell.com

This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to

a colleague, visit: www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

-VYTVYLPUMVYTH[PVULU[LYH[9,>OV[PTZJVT -VYTVYLPUMVYTH[PVULU[LYH[9,>OV[PTZJVT

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58 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011

BRINGING BIG

BEAR ON RENE

POLICY & MARKETS: CLIMATE COMBAT

The military association with drab olive green is being transformed with a shift towards

to a new kind of green, a new era of renewable energy resources that support the

economics, logistics and evolving technology requirements of the world’s modern

armed forces. Richard Baillie reports.

HOW MILITARY TECHNOLOGY IS

ADVANCING GREEN ENERGY

An Abrams M1 tank. The military is making radical changes to address its strategic energy requirements US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

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GUNS TO

WABLES

RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011 59

POLIICY & MARKETS: CLIMATE COMBAT

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60 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011

or all their calamitous outcomes, wars – and the military

which wages them – have long been a source of radical new

technological developments. Navies throughout history, for example,

have been early adopters of new technologies and were the driving

force in the transition from sail power to coal in the 19th century, and

from oil to nuclear power in the post-war era.

But the military’s adoption of new technology had its greatest

and most enduring impact in 1912 when Winston Churchill, then the

UK’s First Lord of the Admirality, ordered the British Royal Navy to

switch its fuel source from coal to oil in its new battleships. This was

not only a dening moment in the history of warfare but it also led to

the development of the oilelds of the Persian Gulf and the growth

of the Anglo-Persain oil company, an antecedent of the modern-day

BP, and put the world on a path towards growing oil dependency

that has dened energy economics in recent decades.

Fast-forward 100 years and the military is again looking to switch

energy sources in a shift away from hydrocarbon dependence

and with a nod on renewables playing an increasingly important

role. And, as with Churchill’s decision, the move is likely to have

repercussions well beyond the battleeld.

AN URGENT MILITARY PRIORITY

The military has two main reasons to be interested in renewables,

both of them compelling. The rst is cost. According to gures from

the US Defense Energy Support Center, the country’s military spent

about US$18 billion on fuel in 2008.

Added to that is the oil price, which while not yet at 2008 levels,

has been creeping inexorably upwards to remain stubbornly above

$100/barrel for the past few months. This puts an enormous strain

on the US defence budget with every $10/barrel price increase

translating into a massive $1.3 billion/year rise in spending.

But while cost is a key factor, an even greater imperative is the

fact that the US military’s insatiable need for hydrocarbons is having

a negative impact on its ability to ght. Fuel supplies severely restrict

battleeld mobility and fuel convoys themselves make relatively easy

targets for insurgents, while tying up the key front-line troops that

are necessary to protect them.

The problem was seen as so serious that in 2006, the top US

military commander in western Iraq, Major General Richard Zilmer,

urgently requested the Pentagon to send more renewable energy

systems to the country to make use of solar and wind power to

produce power for bases and outposts.

Zilmer’s decision was seen as the opening shot in the push

for a greater role of renewables in the military. And while the US

involvement in Iraq is now winding down, the ongoing war in

Afghanistan is proving an even sterner testing ground for renewable

energy technologies.

Mainly this is due to a lack of infrastructure. Afghanistan has no

national electricity grid and much of the country’s power comes from

diesel generators. This means that fuel often has to be transported

long distances in convoys of trucks from Pakistan or own in by

plane. Both options are expensive and supply columns are often

attacked, sometimes with devastating consequences. Indeed, fuel

supply problems are often cited as one of the reasons for the defeat

of Soviet forces in Afghanistan during the 1980s.

Moreover, the cost of providing energy in war zones is often

calculated as a ‘fully burdened’ cost, which means not just the initial

cost of buying fuel, but also the cost of transporting it to where it is

needed. Per gallon estimates range anywhere from $20 to $1000.

Then there is the human cost. General Steve Anderson, a senior

logistician in Iraq for the US military, estimates that more than 1000

Americans have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan as a direct result

of transporting fuel to power tents and buildings.

To combat this, renewable energy, particularly solar photovoltaics

and solar water heating, are attractive options. The US Defense

Department is evaluating mobile solar and wind generators to

replace fuel trucks in combat zones, but its ambitions do not end

there. In total, it has projects in various stages of development for

hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy.

It has also backed several programmes to reach a renewable

portfolio standard, according to a recent report: ‘Reenergizing

America’s Defense’ published by the Pew Project on National

Security, Energy and Climate. The report describes efforts by the

US military, which uses nearly 80% of the US government’s energy

consumption, to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and cut pollution

by enhancing energy efciency and using clean energy technologies.

The goal is for the US military to produce 25% of its energy needs

from renewable sources by 2025.

ORDER OF THE DAY: BIG PROJECTS, TOUGH TARGETS

Solar is leading the charge. The US Army is developing a

500 MW solar power generation plant in Fort Irwin, California, that

will help power the base and reduce its vulnerability to power supply

disruptions as well as using solar shades with tents to better insulate

them in an effort to reduce cooling costs. The army believes this

could cut energy usage by up to 50% by lessening the need for

air-conditioning.

Even the famous Top Gun ghter school

has felt the need for solar and has installed

solar technologies on base buildings

Not to be outdone, the US Air Force is also keen to get in on the

act. The Nellis Solar Power Plant near Las Vegas, Nevada is already

operational. The plant covers a huge 57 hectare area of land leased

from the US Air Force at the nearby Nellis Air Force Base, which is

home to advanced ghter training. Operations began there in 2007

and it will eventually produce 25% of the power used at the base,

which is currently more than 25 GWh/year. Its ground-mounted PV

modules employ a sun-tracking system, with around 70,000 solar

panels, and the peak power generation capacity of the plant is

approximately 13 MW.

Even the famous Top Gun ghter school at Miramar, California

has felt the need for solar and has installed solar technologies

on base buildings, which has put the base on track to achieve a

43% reduction in energy usage by 2012, against a goal of a 90%

reduction by 2017.

And solar energy is by no means restricted to American soil. Solar

water heating has provided warm showers for American soldiers

on active service in Afghanistan’s Helmand province as part of a

programme overseen by the US Department of Energy’s National

Renewable Energy Laboratories. NREL is also looking to utilise the

potential of rooftop and browneld options for photovoltaic arrays

in the country.

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62 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011

The military is also looking at alternative fuels. The US Navy

plans to use alternative sources to provide half of the total energy

consumption of its ships, aircraft, tanks and other vehicles by 2020.

It also has plans for a ‘green’ carrier strike group that runs

completely on alternative fuels by 2016. The US Navy introduced

its rst hybrid vessel last year, the USS Makin Island, which at low

speeds runs on electricity rather than fossil fuel, and has also started

experimenting with fuel made from algae on some of its vessels, the

theory being that biofuels can be produced wherever raw materials

are available, including within war zones.

The US Air Force has also set itself some tough renewables target

and is aiming to acquire half of its domestic jet fuel requirements from

alternate sources by 2016. To achieve this, it is currently developing

some of the biggest biomass plants in the US, one at Florida’s Eglin

Air Force Base and another at Georgia’s Robins Air Force Base.

An F/A-18 Super Hornet ghter jet ew on biofuel in 2010 and,

more recently, an F-15 Eagle ghter had its rst biofuel test ight in

Florida using a blend of Hydrotreated Renewable Jet, an eco-friendly

alternative from sources including animal fats or plant extracts such

as camelina, with traditional JP-8 jet fuel.

Another massive renewables operation is happening at one of

the US Army’s biggest camps, in reality a small town of 120,000

people, at Fort Benning in Georgia. The plan is to install two

power stations to convert the facility’s landll gas into electricity.

Fort Benning will be working with FlexEnergy using a technology

known as Powerstation. Designed to be easily transported between

different theatres of operations, the device also allows the harvesting

of weakly-concentrated gases that could be missed by conventional

approaches to landll.

SOLAR POWER GIVES INFANTRY THE BATTLEFIELD EDGE

Not all the projects are large-scale. Some are designed to meet the

needs of individual soldiers in theatre. Rechargeable batteries are

important because they give soldiers the ability to power systems

anywhere on the battleeld, and reduce the amount of money the

army spends on replacement batteries. To achieve this, the US

Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and

Engineering Center’s Army Power Division (CERDEC) has developed

a solar kit that consists of a panel and different adapters that allows

soldiers to recharge any military battery. A biological battery that uses

sucrose as an electrolyte to power systems is also in development.

Last year, Sky Built Power, a company specialising in renewable

and mobile power generation won a contract to provide the US

military in Afghanistan with power units. The systems, known as

SkyStations, can be mixed and matched according to requirements

and include solar modules, a small wind turbine, a back up electricity

system, water purication and communications capabilities. Another

solar technology is the PowerShade, a larger solar tarp that ts over

a standard Marine Corps tent, which can provide enough energy to

power the tent’s lighting system.

The technology is catching on with other militaries. The British

Army is currently exploring the use of solar and other renewables to

power forward military bases in battle areas such as Afghanistan,

while the US Marine Corps has launched the ‘10x10’ campaign

aimed at reducing energy intensity, water consumption and

increasing the use of renewable energy. The Israel Defense Forces

are also looking to introduce hybrid models of jeeps and introduce

green courses aimed at saving water supplies and boosting the use

of renewables on the battleeld.

INNOVATION – THE MOST POTENT WEAPON OF ALL

Because the military has moved into renewable energy so rapidly,

much of the technology currently being used is commercially available

or has been adapted for the battleeld from civilian models. But the

military is starting to look at more innovative technologies, a move

that could have enduring consequences beyond the battleeld.

One of the most unusual projects the military is looking at is

a scheme to use temperature differences between warm surface

waters and deep, cold water to generate power. The idea behind

what is known as Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC)

POLICY & MARKETS: CLIMATE COMBAT

One of the largest operating PV installations in the US is located at Nellis Air Force Base

USAF

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64 RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011

technology is not new but the military has hired Lockheed Martin to

develop it at a time when commercial development of the technology

has stalled due to the relatively high cost of extraction and the

relatively low levels of power produced. The military is optimistic that

the technology can eventually be rened to work more efciently –

a gamble that a commercial operator would probably be unwilling

or unable to contemplate. The military also favours OTEC because

it could eventually guarantee a constant baseload power supply,

unlike variable solar and wind.

Also receiving investment is solar-powered hydrogen production,

both as a way of powering vehicles and to store energy generated

from wind until there is demand for it. Solar powered hydrogen

generation could also be used to power military bases in a bid to

overcome issues associated with the reliability of wind and solar.

Both hydrogen energy storage and OTEC are expensive

technologies that are not going to be used for large-scale power any

time soon, but by investing in these technologies, the military may be

performing a very useful service for clean energy.

COMBATING THE CYBER-THREAT

The US is also aware that a cyber-attack on its power facilities could

severely damage its ghting ability. To combat this, the military is

keen to roll out a system of micro-grid technology that will combine

energy from existing diesel-powered generators alongside alternative

and renewable energy sources. The idea is that renewables would

keep military bases running in the aftermath of any cyber attack or

natural disaster.

The project is known as the Smart Power Infrastructure

Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security, or Spiders, and

will be tested at various bases in Hawaii over the next two years.

The US state is also likely to be a testing ground for many new

technologies owing to both its isolated location and expensive (often

diesel generated) power as well as its status as home to the US

Pacic Command. It is therefore a prime location for renewables

and as it relies heavily on imported oil, power prices there are much

higher than in the continental US. The military plans to cut its fossil

energy use in Hawaii by about 70% by 2030 using a combination of

renewable energy, biofuels and energy efciency measures.

N ALLIED EFFORT

While the US military is at the forefront of the great renewables push,

its allies are also playing an increasingly important role.

The Australian Navy is pioneering the use of CETO, a wave-

powered electricity generation technology developed by Carnegie

Wave Energy, which currently supplies energy to a defence

communications station in Western Australia. CETO’s underwater

buoys are moved up an down by ocean swell which drives pumps

and, in turn, pressurises seawater that is delivered ashore by a

pipeline. Once onshore, the high-pressure seawater is used to drive

hydro turbines and thus generating electricity.

Exmouth uses very low frequency radio transmissions to

communicate with ships in the western Pacic and Indian Oceans.

If the scheme is successful it will prove CETO’s viability for the

provision of power into a remote system.

In addition, Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is building the rst

buoy-to-grid connection in the US, bringing wave power ashore at a

Marine Corps base in Hawaii.

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RENEWABLE ENERGY WORLD MAY–JUNE 2011 65

The company is also set to provide power for an anti-terrorism

and maritime surveillance programme off the New Jersey coast. This

will not be connected to the grid but the wave energy will power

technologies including at-sea sensors and communications with the

overall aim of a self-powered vessel detection system. Such a system

could provide an early warning of any seaborne terrorist attack or

drug smuggling at a low cost and requiring very little maintenance.

Traditional UK defence companies are also embracing

renewables. Qinetiq and BAE systems are using their expertise in the

military sphere to branch out into the wave and tidal energy sector.

Qinetiq has also been working with Vestas to reduce the radar

signature of wind turbines and their potential impact on military and

civilian air trafc control systems.

This is a very real concern in the UK’s crowded airspace were the

radar signature of wind turbines often threatens to disrupt existing

radar facilities.

British scientists are also working on a solar-powered drone for

airplane manufacturer Boeing in partnership with Qinetiq. Engineers

from Newcastle University will build the engine for the massive

SolarEagle, which will have solar panels that its designers say will

allow it to remain airborne for ve years at a time. The SolarEagle

will also have the biggest wingspan of any aerial vehicle in the world

at 120 metres. Using solar will allow the plane to y at an altitude of

more than 60,000 feet (20,000 metres) where temperatures can be

below minus 60

C, all the while providing valuable intelligence for

ground forces.

The Newcastle University team previously collaborated with

Qinetiq on Zephyr, an earlier drone that held the previous endurance

record for unmanned aerial ight after two weeks in the air.

SolarEagle’s rst test ight is scheduled for 2014.

WHAT ARE THE LIMITS TO MILITARY POWER?

The military is having less success in extending the use of renewables

to civilian populations. The US Army National Guard has tried to

bring renewable energy to Afghanistan for civilian use, with forays

into wind and solar built by army units, the Afghan government, and

NGOs. However, the results have been mixed and a lack of trained

civilian personnel has lead to some projects being abandoned.

But the military is more accustomed than the commercial sector

to dealing with setbacks. It also has the advantage of acting fast

when it needs to without the need for lengthy debates.

Just as importantly, the military has the buying power to create

products and markets. Solar and wind technologies have beneted

from government subsidies and are already becoming much cheaper.

The main beneciaries of the military’s gung-ho approach to

renewables are alternatives like OTEC which have a lot of potential

but are not yet commercially viable.

By stepping in as an early adopter with immense purchasing

power the military has the ability to make such technologies practical

and affordable and therefore propel them into the mainstream.

Richard Baillie is a freelance correspondent

e-mail: rew@pennwell.com

This article is available on-line. To comment on it or forward it to

a colleague, visit, www.RenewableEnergyWorld.com

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PHOTOVOLTAICS: MULTI-TECHNOLOGY FIELD

Thin-lm panels lie in the foreground of this view of the multi-technology array at Bolzano Dolmiti

airport EURAC/O. SEEHAUSER

A MULTI

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Renewable Energy World - magazine - 5/6-2011

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