Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $3.5 million contract to integrate renewable energy into deployable airfield power systems. The company will develop the Integrated Smart-BEAR Power System (ISBPS) for the U.S. Air Force. The Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) program equips U.S. forces with lightweight, air-transportable assets used to establish mobile air bases.
ISBPS will integrate a variety of energy sources into the existing BEAR power grid, with goals to reduce fuel consumption by 25%, alleviate logistics burdens and improve power availability, according to Lockheed Martin.
Key ISBPS capabilities include operating in both grid-tied and grid-independent modes. The system will independently sustain critical power loads when the primary grid is unavailable, supplementing conventional diesel generation with wind and solar wind power. The system is also designed for rapid deployment and will fit in standard shipping containers.
Initial ISBPS development and demonstration will occur at Lockheed Martin's Dallas site prior to deployment, taking advantage of the Lockheed Martin Microgrid Development Center. To make the Lockheed Martin solution as theater-ready as possible, the ISBPS team will construct and use actual BEAR structures during the testing phase in Dallas.
SOURCE: Lockheed Martin
