Solar power could oust diesel generators used by marines

The Renewable Sustainable Expeditionary Power (RSEP) programme seeks to create a transportable renewable hybrid system that can provide marines with electricity for a 15-day mission without relying on fuel re-supply convoys.

‘This programme takes on a number of power-related challenges and ultimately will allow the Marine Corps to take a big step toward its goal of using fuel only for mobility purposes by 2025,’ said H Scott Coombe, product manager for RSEP, a collaboration between ONR’s Expeditionary Maneuver Warfare and Combating Terrorism and Sea Warfare and Weapons departments.

‘This is a very interesting multidisciplinary problem we’re trying to solve,’ Coombe said. ‘There are multiple heat-transfer issues, as well as optical, electrical and control/optimisation challenges.’

According to a statement, ONR has enlisted the help of three industry teams — led by Raytheon, Battelle and Emcore — that have developed concepts for hybrid systems that use sunlight, heat and fuel to create electricity.

One option is to combine a Stirling engine with a solar concentrator resembling a satellite dish, while another is to use solar cells to collect sunlight in conjunction with a solid-oxide fuel cell.