DARPA Push: Solar Cells Tough Enough to Handle a War
June 26th, 2010Via: Wired:
For years, the military has made on-again, off-again attempts to find eco-friendly ways to get power war-zones, bases and drones. And lately, they’ve seemed willing to try almost anything to do it. In the last year alone, the military’s funded projects that’d turn ocean water into liquid fuel and use dye inspired by purple bacteria to charge UAVs.
Now Darpa, usually the agency behind the Pentagon’s most out-there ideas, is putting their money into an old standby: solar power. They’re investing $3.8 million into the creation of high-powered, lightweight solar cells that can “stand up to battle conditions and environmental extremes.”
The program, called Low-Cost Lightweight Portable Photovoltaics (PoP), is being spearheaded by Dr. Robert Birkmire, director of the University of Delaware’s Institute of Energy Conversion (IEC). The Institution has a long history of working on Darpa-funded projects, including a 7-year consortium, launched in 1995, that successfully created much of the tech now going into PoP.
“Obviously, this is an agency that sets out some incredibly ambitious goals,” Birkmire told Danger Room. “But if you’d asked me in 1995, if we’d be able to complete that project? I’d have had no idea.”
And, Birkmire is quick to point out, the cells Darpa’s after will require some lofty innovation. Thin-film, flexible solar cells are a major priority for the military, because they can be applied onto almost everything — from tents to uniforms — and would minimize the number of generators and portable battery packs needed by troops in battle. In 2005, the Army tested tents lined with silicon-based solar cells that were able to generate adequate power for fans, lap tops and lights.
Five years later, Birkmire and co. have taken that technology up a notch. They’re testing cutting edge, copper-indium-deselinide-based cells, made on a lightweight plastic substrate. And Darpa wants the PoP program to yield solar cells that are more than just light and flexible — they should also be able to withstand dirt, rough handling and punctures, and be manufactured inexpensively.
Right now, Birkmire said, the cells are in their infancy, and operate at 7-11 percent efficiency. Darpa wants to see that doubled — at least.
“They want to take performance to another level, and I’m not sure that we’ll get there,” he said of the program, which will also include four industry partners. “Add to that the challenge of encapsulating these models to make them resilient for battle, and keeping them lightweight in spite of that, and it’s a big challenge.”
But because the cells are so inexpensive (less than $1/watt), and so versatile, Birkmire anticipates widespread civilian application.
“It’s a perfect example of what can be great about Darpa programs,” he said. “This is research and tech that’ll have larger implications.”
Brings to mind what you wrote awhile ago about the U.S. National Renewable Energy Lab yearly budget being less than one month of spending on the
Iraq occupation.
IMHO (which is usually NOT) DARPA sends out these flucking blurbs every now and then to justify their billion dollar existence. I have some books on my work site to prove IT IS SO, What a laugh. DARPA is NOT doing anything with solar. Comon. Who are we kidding here? Hear anything from soldiers re the grand solar experiment?
Sorry, I think its a joke. Propaganda. News to make us “feel” friendly towards making war. Huh? and what? Is it better we make war in places for oil on solar power?
PITIFUL.
What a sorry state of propaganda, that we can FINALLY show some progress in our invasion of other countries for their resourceds JUST BECAUSE WE ARE NOW DOING IT ON SOLAR POWER.
FLUCK THESE WARS FOR OIL.
The bumper sticker, placed on my car in 2005, “Bring them home,” is peeling off from wear and tear.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were born a long time ago – Carter- Russia. We aren’t going to defeat these people no matter how much our treausury we manufacture and spend.
Time methinks, to admit defeat with the wars for oil. Roll up the carpet, just like England had to do with India when Ghandi sent peaceful resistance into “battle.”
Oil is going to be the end of the USA as a world power, IMHO through the BP oil spill. Just like England collapsed through its overreach to dominate the world ( for whatever they were overreaching I don’t remember – salt, spice, land, nookie?)
The BP spill is a CATACLYSM – an environmental catastrophe that will be experienced by many as the “end of times,” a catastrophe beyond comprension.
And DARPA, making some feel good statement that we can make war on solar power.
Too bad we can’t dig up some freaking graves (like in the Catholic Church) to show what’s really going on in the military science fest.
What a freaking freak show.
Wars for oil run on Solar Power.
Give me a flucking break.
We need industrial strength ghostbusters to bring this freak show out into the light.
The stench of all the cover stories is weighing this planet down.
BIG TIME.
Think as with the Catholic Church, its time for some SUNLIGHT to be shed on all this MOLD building up in the US MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX.
I’d be willing to spare some of my stash of Bio-Kleen to get the mold off of all of this dead, self perpetuating bullshit.
Just because I mentioned it I thought I should send a link.
I use the Bac-Out in the drains here, in my frying pans, etc. where I witness the enzymes most profusely “eating grease” with enzymes.
If I had the money of Kevin Cosner, I’d be sending a gazillion buckets of Bac-ut to the Gulf of Mexico (I buy it in five gallon containers).
http://biokleenhome.com/
I go with Bigelow and remind myself too of the amount of $ spent on research and war.
Eileen: I don’t think they don’t do research on solar. Sure they do, but they know its a drop on the proverbial hot stone. Solar can be the power for the radio, handheld or lamp needed to read maps and get supplies. Just like a catalyst it isn’t important in numbers, but for the militant system as a whole.
The propaganda remains, though.