Captain Fuller (far right) briefs Soldiers from the 1-106th Infantry Battalion, CA ARNG on a 120W Vehicle Solar Kit

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Naval Postgraduate Student (NPS) Major Genevieve Studer (USMC) and, now NPS graduate, Captain Sherifa Fuller (USMC) conducted a field experiment of two 120W Vehicle Solar Power Augmentation Kits during the 1-160th Infantry Battalion’s California National Army Guard (CA ARNG) training exercise at the Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii. The experiment was coordinated by the NPS Energy Academic Group and the Center for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR) as a part of the NEPTUNE project with sponsorship from the Office of Naval Research. 

The vehicle solar kits are designed to lower vehicle fuel consumption, preserve battery life, and decrease the aural and heat signatures of vehicles in order to increase operational capability, enhance force protection, and reduce a unit’s logistical footprint. The solar kit enables the vehicle to provide power and operate its electronics equipment without running the vehicle’s engine. The field test confirmed that the 120W charging system was convenient, portable, user friendly, and rugged. It also produced enough power to keep the vehicle battery trickle-charged when exposed to full direct sunlight. 

A 1-160th Infantry Battalion communications officer noted that during peak power, the power drawn from the radio is greater than the power produced from the solar panel. Additionally, the range of the communications was insufficient for longer retrans missions. One potential solution is to upgrade the vehicle with a Lithium Ferrous Phosphate 6T battery, which could compensate for peak hours and for periods when there is a lack of sunlight. 

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Email Lawrence Walzer at lmwalzer1@nps.edu or call 831.656.3777