Air Force tests hydrogen fuel cell as part of "Tent City" Initiative

Defense Environment Alert, 9 January 2007

The Air Force last month successfully demonstrated how hydrogen fuel cells could one day be used for generating power at forward operating bases and remote locations to help reduce the dependence of U.S. forces on local energy sources and foreign oil, according to service officials.

During the Dec. 14 test, officials from the service's Advanced Power Technology Office studied how well a newly developed hydrogen fuel cell called the "Multipurpose Electric Power System" could provide electricity to halogen lights, comparing the results to the performance of a diesel generator now used in theater, Mike Mead, the office's chief, said in an interview last month.

The demonstration took place at Robins Air Force Base, GA, where the Advanced Power Technology Office is located.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of tests under the office's "tent city" initiative, which examines new alternative energy technologies that may one day help U.S. forces in theater power equipment more efficiently, Mead said.

The proliferation of these technologies in the field could also reduce the need for transporting fossil fuels to remote locations, as well as lessen the dependence of U.S. forces on energy sources usually used by local communities, defense officials say.

During his January 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush declared that the United States must wean itself from its "addiction to oil," which may be an unreliable source of energy in the future.

In July, the top U.S. commander in western Iraq called on the Pentagon to send more renewable energy systems to the country in an effort to reduce the time fuel convoys spend on roads -- where they are susceptible to attack from insurgents using makeshift bombs and rocket-propelled grenades.

"A proposed alternate solution -- one that reduces the number of convoys while providing an additional capability to outlying bases -- is to augment our use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, such as photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines, at our outlying bases,"states the "joint urgent operations needs" request, certified by Multi-National Force-West commander Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer. "By reducing the need for [petroleum-based fuels] at our outlying bases, we can decrease the frequency of logistics convoys on the road, thereby reducing the danger to our Marines, soldiers, and sailors."

The Air Force is the largest consumer of fossil fuels in the Defense Department, according to a Dec. 22 service statement. Although most of the service's oil is consumed by its airborne fleet, the Advanced Power Technology Office does not develop fuels for aircraft, Mead said.

During last month's demonstration, the Battelle-developed Multipurpose Electric Power System converted S-8 synthetic fuel into hydrogen that powered a 5-kilowatt motor, Mead said.

The system produced 25 percent more electricity than the diesel generator, while using the same amount of fuel, Mead said. The fuel cell also made less noise and produced fewer emissions, he added.

The deployable system also had a smaller heat signature than the diesel generator, Mead said.

Battelle is not the only company exploring such technology, Mead said.

As more versions of hydrogen fuel cells and other alternative energy technologies emerge, the Advanced Power Technology Office will do similar "apples-to-apples" comparisons, Mead said.

Using fuel cells and other alternative energy technologies in the field would shield warfighters from potential attacks on local electricity grids, Mead said.

But hydrogen fuel cell technology is not yet ready to be fielded, he said, adding that demonstrations like last month's are a "first step" toward further development.

All the technologies that have been compared and tested by the office have been "one-off prototypes," Mead said.

Because they are not mass produced, such technologies are "cost prohibitive," Robert David, the Advanced Power Technology Office's lead engineer, said during the same interview.

The average cost of 1 kilowatt of energy generated from hydrogen fuel cells is $4,000, he added. In addition, hydrogen fuel cell technology like the system tested last month has not matured enough to be deployed.

"In some situations . . . we can put in this technology out there today," Mead said. "We wouldn't want to put this technology into a deployed tent city today because we're not there."

Yet, there are many "niche applications" for these technologies at bases in the United States, David said.

For example, the Advanced Power Technology Office uses 10 5-kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells to power a water treatment plant at Robins AFB, Mead said. Similarly, various demonstrator projects employing hydrogen generation stations, hybrid vehicles, and wind turbines are running at other U.S. bases.

Besides developing technologies that reduce dependence on fossil fuels, the Advanced Power Technology Office is also charged with fielding "multi-task capable equipment," Mead said.

Many of the office's projects include incorporating energy producing technologies into existing systems, he added.

Further, the office only develops technologies that could have military and commercial uses, Mead explained.

"We have to be able to support . . . [such technologies] and the only way to do that is [to] have it commercially available so that the cost of this technology will go down," he said