Ideal Power’s solar-plus-storage microgrid solution for US Air Force

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
 Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James speaks with 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, an environment research engineer at the Air Force Research Lab. Source: Johnny Salvidar

Ideal Power, a power conversion expert, has partnered with EnerDel and its lithium-ion batteries to create a mobile solar-plus-storage microgrid for the US Air Force.

The system was launched under a year-long programme formulated by researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory and University of Dayton Research Institute.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Air Force bases and other militia locations are often reliant on diesel fuel to produce power in remote locations that are difficult to connect to the grid. Not only is this method expensive and environmentally adverse, but it is also unreliable as it can be problematic sending convoys into hostile environments.

To solve these problems, EnerDel selected Ideal Power’s grid resilient multi-port 30kW power conversion system together with an 8kW tent-mounted solar array to form a portable microgrid, which not only provides a cost-effective alternative to diesel, but adds a degree of energy security as power can be generated from solar independent of any utility grid. 

Read the full story on PV Tech's sister website Energy-Storage.News here.

Read Next

Premium
November 13, 2026
As US voters backed data centre moratoriums in the midterms, this raises questions over solar PV's AI-linked growth in the years ahead.
November 12, 2026
Terra-Gen completes PV park in California, Duke Energy Florida plans four new solar arrays, and Altus Power acquires another 92 projects.
November 12, 2026
NAED Energy has unveiled PV-1 PECVD-V, a vertical in-line deposition platform designed for high-volume tandem solar cell production.
Premium
November 11, 2026
A boom in the satellite business is creating new opportunities for terrestrial PV manufacturers in space, writes Catherine Early.
November 10, 2026
Module manufacturer Heliene and perovskite solar company Caelux have started commercial-scale production of a hybrid-tandem solar module for the US market.
November 10, 2026
Qcells has passed all evaluation categories in module reliability tests conducted by Kiwa PVEL and the Renewable Energy Test Center (RETC) for US-made solar modules.

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
November 24, 2026
Warsaw, Poland
Solar Media Events
February 2, 2027
London, UK
Solar Media Events
April 20, 2027
Istanbul, Türkiye