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Marines Test Their Mojo

The U.S. Marine Corps is testing the applicability of harnessing the power of the sun and wind to operate combat communications and other systems. The initiative not only eliminates the need for traditional fossil fuels and the logistics necessary to supply them but also reduces heat and noise signatures so troops can minimize detection.

The Marines are testing two Mojos for their feasibility in combat. The products are road-ready, rapidly deployable trailers that include a 26-foot telescoping tower, battery box and complex set of electronics as well as four solar panels and a wind generator. Mojos typically produce approximately 520 watts of sustained solar power, and the wind turbines generate 350 to 600 watts of sustained power.

 

Marines work with a Mojo, a rapidly deployable, renewable energy power source. The trailers are designed for towing and include a 26-foot telescoping tower, four solar panels and a wind generator.

The use of natural power sources eliminates the need for grid-based power, suiting Mojos for use in remote environments such as those in combat or border patrol situations. The systems can handle a variety of payloads to support missions such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or communications. The balance of solar and wind power built into the Mojos enables them to operate through various environmental conditions.

The 8th Communications Battalion at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina—the first Marine unit to express interest in the devices—invited Critical Power Solutions International Incorporated (CPSI), Ashburn, Virginia, the system’s developer, to showcase the project at a demonstration day. The battalion purchased two Mojos for test and evaluation and, after completing its experiments, shipped them to the Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) at Quantico, Virginia, for further testing. MARCORSYSCOM is evaluating the Mojos as a renewable power source for intermediate power applications in the 300- to 500-watt range, which would provide power without requiring a generator.

The Marines at CampLejeune were interested in using the systems for communications as a way to protect troops. Craig Wilson, a partner with Delmarva Engineering, Crownsville, Maryland, notes that improvised explosive device attacks continually occur on soldiers. Using Mojos, the Marine Corps could put a remote team at a site where refueling is dangerous and difficult, and that team would continue to have communication capabilities without using traditional power sources.

CPSI designed the Mojo in part to ensure users obtain the power they need by including a large battery bank on the system. The wattage output of Mojos represents sustained power levels for regular use. However, the battery bank on the trailer is a large capacitor that can deliver five to six times more power for shorter durations. 

Mojos benefit troops in several ways. In addition to reducing the need for convoys to travel dangerous routes to reach teams, the elimination of noise and heat decreases the chances of enemy detection of forward units. As a result, adversaries cannot rely on those types of signatures to determine the Marines' locations.

Because Mojos run on renewable power sources, they can help meet initiatives specified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense aimed at reducing the consumption of fossil fuels. Wilson hopes that the systems will find wide use in the Marine Corps.

Read an expanded version of this article in the April 2009 issue of SIGNAL Magazine, in the mail to AFCEA members and subscribers April 1, 2009. For more information about purchasing this issue, joining AFCEA or subscribing to SIGNAL, contact AFCEA Member Services.