The soldier on the modern battlefield is loaded down with a lot of equipment, but more and more of it is digital, and to power it the military is working on a way to use solar power. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has created a prototype of a solar power pack that could help recharge lithium-ion battery packs.
“One of the most significant challenges currently facing the Marine Corps is the need to supply sufficient electricity to individual Marines in forward operating bases,” said Robert Walters of the NRL Solid State Devices Branch. “Mobile photovoltaics are a technology that can address these needs by leveraging emerging, flexible, high efficiency photovoltaic technology.”
This pack would employ an array of single-junction solar cells, and would open to a 150 square inch collection area yet still fit into a standard USMC backpack. As many military applications eventually make their way to commercial users we can dream about this one for future hikers and campers.