AF Researchers Aiming to Increase Energy Security Through Microgrids

By Tactical-Life

The following is a release by Holly Jordan, Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate:

The Air Force Research Laboratory, in conjunction with the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies, is exploring microgrid and alternative fuel technologies in an effort to move military operations toward greater energy independence.

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Under the terms of a recent five-year, $20 million cooperative agreement, AFRL will manage and facilitate a microgrid demonstration project at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. When complete, the project is expected to enable the Hawaii Air National Guard base to function independently of the power grid for extended periods of time.

The project incorporates a number of energy-harvesting and storage technologies, including hydrogen vehicles and equipment, waste energy usage, wind power harvesting, and solar panels. It builds upon a previous cooperative agreement with AFRL that established advanced hydrogen production, and hydrogen-powered vehicles and equipment at the base.

Kevin Spitzer, an AFRL program manager, said that initial design and integration efforts at the base are currently underway, and AFRL personnel are working in conjunction with Kansas City-based contractors Burns and McDonnell to identify and quantify project requirements.

The Hawaii Air National Guard began …Read the Rest

Source:: Tactical Life