The average amount of equipment our men and women in uniform have to carry around in the battlefield does weigh a considerable figure, so what are the ways that technology and science can employ in order to lessen their burden? The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have managed to come up with a prototype of a mobile solar power pack, where they are currently field-testing it to deliver high efficiency and flexible solar cells coupled to a high capacity rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
Robert Walters, NRL Solid State Devices Branch, said, “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. Mobile photovoltaics are a technology that can address these needs by leveraging emerging, flexible, high efficiency photovoltaic technology.”
This particular mobile solar pack prototype will employ an array of single-junction solar cells, having it work in tandem with a power conditioning circuit in order to maximize power production. Whenever it sees action, the solar array will open up to 150 square inches of collection area, where it will then harness the power of the sun to juice up a standard military issue Li-ion battery. This device can fits into a standard USMC backpack without any issues.
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