Darpa Trying To Develop Better Solar Cells For Combat Troops

Making Better Solar Researchers work on a sheet of flexible solar cells at the University of Delaware's Institute of Energy Conversion. University of Deleware Institute of Energy Conversion

To Power Future Battles, DARPA Wants Combat-Tough Solar Cells -- Popular Science

In recent years, the U.S. military has been making small strides toward a greener energy standard – the Navy wants to create a green strike group by 2012, while the Air Force has been testing biofuels in its aircraft. But for troops on the ground relying increasingly on electronic devices, solar is the way forward. With that in mind, DARPA has assembled an industry-academic team of photovoltaic leaders to create the next generation of battle-ready solar cells that achieve 20 percent conversion while standing up to harsh combat conditions.

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My Comment: I look forward to this technology being used in the civilian sector .... but I suspect that any civilian benefits will be far in the future.