Durable and Flexible Solar Shade Panels

Let There Be Light: Experimental Solar Shade in Djibouti Provides Power

June 3, 2011 -- The silence of nonpolluting solar energy at work may someday replace the hum of muffled generators in remote field locations.

Maj. Tim Franklin from the U.S. Army Research Development and Engineering Command, who also serves as science and technology adviser to U.S. Army Africa, is the lead in coordinating an experiment using flexible solar cells that could eventually save millions in Army fuel costs. In fact, the project was recently nominated for recognition in the Annual Secretary of the Army Energy and Water Management Awards because of the more than $230,000 savings by using the solar shade.

The concept is simple -- flexible solar cells affixed to a sun shelter then connected to a system of storage batteries.

“Solar shade produces two kilowatts of power -- that may not seem like a lot, but in a remote area it’s perfect because you don’t have to worry about transporting fuel or replacing parts,” Franklin said. “You could place this on a remote mountain site to provide power for a radio retransmission site [since] it requires very little maintenance,” Franklin said.

FLEXIBLE SOLAR CELL SYSTEM

- Quiet
- Requires minimal maintenance
- Produces clean energy from the sun
- Works at night pending storage batteries charged
- Cost effective
- Operating area requires 40-by-60-foot area

Franklin added that the heart of the solar shade consist of four Hawker High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle batteries with a balancing system featuring a simple voltage meter with a 110 volt power inverter. read more>>>