BRAVE American troops in Afghanistan are using solar PV energy to help with their task in hand.
New kit for the US marines includes rucksacks embedded with solar cells that recharge their radio batteries meaning they have much lighter loads to carry.
Another ground breaking piece of equipment includes the solar blanket, which stores the sun’s energy and powers radios and GPS devices for up to three weeks at a time without battery supply.
The technological developments are not just environmentally friendly, but also save lives as they reduce the amount of supplies needed, meaning there are fewer convoys for the Taliban to ambush.
In further American military news, according to ‘Enlisting the Sun: Powering the US Military with Solar Energy’ the US Navy will receive half its power from renewable energy by 2020.
A spokesperson from www.theecoexperts.co.uk said: “The US military is making incredible moves embracing renewable technology. In certain situations solar energy can indeed be the best way of powering equipment and we are glad the marines are publicising this.
“The US army is continuing to support renewable energy and we think this is inspiring. Hopefully this will lead to many more developments in this industry and we look forward to monitoring this.”
