The Defense Innovation Unit will collaborate with other Department of Defense components and Mitre in an effort to build a microgrid that can serve as a reliable source of energy in remote or mobile military operations in the Arctic region.
As part of the Arctic Grid Energy Solutions project, DOD awarded HDT Global a contract to design a grid prototype equipped with an energy efficient shelter and existing cold region technologies from the commercial sector, DIU said Tuesday.
The goal of AGES is to create a mobile system with battery storage and generators that can withstand temperatures as low as -50 degrees Fahrenheit.
DOD expects the prototype to enter the testing phase in the fall of 2023 and be deployed to Alaska for the 2024 Arctic Edge Exercise.
The project involves the following offices:
- Engineer Research and Development Center – Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory Testing and Demonstration
- Engineer Research and Development Center – Construction Engineering Research Laboratory
- North American Aerospace Defense Command
- Office of Naval Research – Cybersecurity Oversight
- Office of the Undersecretary of Defense Acquisition and Sustainment, Operational Energy Capability Improvement Fund
- Project Manager Expeditionary Energy and Sustainment Systems
- Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, Rapid Reaction Technology Office
- U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance
- U.S. Army Program Executive Office Combat Support and Combat Service Support
- U.S. Northern Command