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Military turns to hybrid generators to cut down on fuel usage by 70%

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Whether most people like it or not, the fact remains that yesterday’s discarded military technology is in most cases what is cutting edge stuff in the consumer market today. The armed forces are a step or two ahead of everyone else and understandably for good reason. So, it pays to keep an eye on the tech that is currently used by the men in green. Troops in Afghanistan have recently turned to hybrid diesel generators that potentially cut down on fuel consumption by 50 to 70 percent.

Designed by Virginia-based Earl Energy, the new generator system will store the output of the diesel generators in lithium-ion battery pack, which will then supply the required energy for the troops. So, unlike in the past, the generators need not run at their peak for all 24 hours and can only work in 4 hour cycles that will fill the Li-Ion battery to the brim.

Pairing up an 18-kW diesel generator with a 40-kWh bank of batteries, the system ensures that the diesel generators need not run 24/7 despite not being tapped into fully. Also adding a bit of extra green tinge to the whole set up is a 10-kW solar photovoltaic panel that reduces the dependence on fossil fuel. With depleting fossil fuel resources, technology such as this is a real boon indeed.

Via: Ecogeek

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