The Daily Mail reports that the Australian Ministry of Defence has developed a 14-ounce solar panel:
Soldiers will have them moulded on to their backpacks to help power the array of electronic equipment now used in combat.
The introduction of solar panels is being studied by the Ministry of Defence, which is keen to cut the use of traditional batteries. The new technology would be ‘greener’ than disposable batteries and much cheaper in the long run.
It could also help save troops’ lives by eliminating the danger of equipment failing because of lack of power.
And it could save them from the risk of injury posed by traditional batteries, which can explode if exposed to fire or extreme desert temperatures.
Weighing just 14oz, the panels have been developed for the Australian army, whose troops and special forces regularly fight alongside elite British SAS units in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The panels are made from a secret compound and can produce hours of low-level energy to power radios, night-vision goggles, communications equipment and sensors to detect enemy positions.
They even work in cloudy conditions because they harness solar radiation rather than direct sunlight. The Australian military, which spent £1million on the project, says the battlefield has become more “power hungry”, so finding an alternative battery source was vital.
Lieutenant Colonel John Baird, of the Australian army, said: “This is fighting in the information age, where every soldier is connected via sophisticated communications equipment and uses sensors to provide information on an enemy’s position.
“But it uses a hell of a lot of power, and the disposable batteries we are using now are far from ideal because when they run out the soldiers have to return to base and take the used batteries with them.
“If we can use the sun’s radiation to recharge equipment then that is a clear advantage.”
Dr Gavin Tulloch, director of the solar-panel project, said: “The lithium used in traditional batteries can be dangerous, particularly in conflict situations, and the residual electrolytes are quite polluting.
Clearly within the ambit of current technological possibility. And this became, say, NATO-standard equipment, we might see interesting and rapid changes in price.