Renewable Energy Sources for the Military
The Department of Defense (DoD) is one of the largest consumers of energy in the United States. In addition to domestic fuel needs, the armed forces also buy energy internationally and, with limited options, often pay premium prices for fossil fuel. It is understandable then that the Department of Defense is in the forefront of finding alternate clean, renewable energy sources. The DoD’s realization that they must shift to renewable energy sources and reduce fuel costs is illustrated by the Army’s mandate to reduce power consumption by 30 percent by 2015 and to use 25 percent renewable power by 2025.
The Military’s Focus on Solar
Solar is a top energy alternative for on-grid and off-grid power for bases, remote locations, charging electrical vehicles (EV green fleets) and International locations. Solar provides the ideal solution for areas with open surface areas and unusable sites such as landfills and brownfields that traditionally could not be developed. Off-grid solar can used replace or reduce the need for diesel generators that require fossil-fuel and routine maintenance.
SunPods Solar Solutions
SunPods factory-built ground-mount solar arrays are an efficient solution for Military’s need to implement alternative energy quickly and on a wide variety of terrains. The SunPods units are delivered to the project site ready to power-up with minimum assembly or site preparation. Following are just a few of the applications SunPods is demonstrating for the DoD’s energy buyers:
On-Grid Distributed Ground Power Solar arrays installed on bases can immediately generate renewable energy to power operations and the growing number of electrical and utility vehicles. The SunPods systems are modular and can easily scale from small solar power systems to large, utility-size solar farms. SunPods adjustable legs and non-penetrating self-ballasted design allows the solar array to be placed in environmentally sensitive areas with minimal impact on the land and native plants. |
Off-Grid Ground Power SunPods Off-Grid Power solutions can be implemented in remote locations now solely powered by diesel generators. Ideal for remote deployments, these plug and play systems with our power up on demand design are pre-wired and pre-assembled for fast field set-up. The SunPods power adjustable legs allow for placement even on uneven, rough terrains. The SunPods off-grid design can be redeployed from site to site and we offer a non-glass polymer surfaced PV modules that are impact and shock resistant for hostile theaters and rough terrains. |
| Electrical Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations SunPods EV power stations create the new clean power infrastructure needed for plug-in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. SunPods offer a convenient, cost-effective solar solution for charging the military’s electric vehicles while reducing overall energy costs. |
UPS Back-up Power Maintaining electrical power for mission critical operations is paramount. SunPods solar powered back-up units provide a reliable energy source for essential military systems when the grid goes down or equipment fails. SunPods solar power is used to charge reserve battery systems. Once the batteries are fully-charged, surplus solar power is net-metered back to the grid to reduce energy costs while remaining alert to power-up in an emergency. |
For a stand-alone power generation our SunPods hybrid units come equipped with battery backup and optional generators and fuel cells.