Some people like camping for its rough get-back-to-nature-ness; other people prefer to be more comfortable. These people would camp more if only the great outdoors was somehow less outdoorsy. Thanks to improving solar power technology, they could soon be getting a lot more fresh air.
Back in 2006, campers were introduced to the concept of solar power tents with the Woods Solar Powered EZ-Tent. The EZ to pitch tent came with an 18cm solar panel that was easily attached to the top of the tent’s hub. Integrated LED rope lights lined the top of the tent and the panel could be used to charge batteries. A charge time of four to six hours (in direct sunlight) generated two to four hours’ worth of light.
Three years later, Orange, UK’s telecom giant, unveiled a concept solar tent to serve as a beacon to lost campers and also heat up the tent floor for those with a delicate disposition. Should the tent ever see the light of day, so to speak, it will rely heavily on emerging flexible photovoltaics technology, which would be integrated into the tent fabric itself. The semi-photovoltaic fabric will be woven with specially coated solar threads and conventional threads, which would then form an adjustable “solar shell” to make optimum use of available sunlight. According to cnet.com, the energy generated is made available for heating, lighting, communications and recharging.
The concept tent was inspired by campers attending UK’s Glastonbury music festival. But heated floors and tents that light up at an SMS are not what the US Army has in mind for its solar powered tents. The army is less concerned about its carbon footprint and more worried about its logistical one. Generators and battery packs are heavy and take up space; setting them up is time consuming and when they are left behind after they have served their purpose, they make it easy for enemies to track the army’s progress. Without sounding too dramatic, solar powered tents could mean the difference between life and death or as Wired puts it, the difference between victory and defeat.
In 2004 the Army announced that it was developing tents and uniforms made from flexible solar panels. The solar panels in question were developed by Iowa Thin Film Technologies and could be easily layered on top of tents or rolled into backpacks. At the time, the technology was adequate for field use but still required up to two years of testing. The army was simultaneously working with Konarka Technologies to develop nanotechnology-based solar panels which would be woven directly into fabric.
It’s now December 2010 and the US Army is still on its solar powered quest. According to an army website, “… products are designed to allow expeditionary units to deploy with transferrable, exportable electrical power that can charge batteries, computers and other essential gear without needing fuel or a generator”. A number of technologies are being evaluated and have actually been deployed with some troops in Afghanistan.
Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, said, “The technology has reached the point where the testing has shown they [solar-powered tents] are proven. Our teams have worked on the inverters and the durability of the systems. The durability of the tent covers has evolved to a point where we would like to see more of them deployed.”
Whether for camping or military purposes, solar powered tents will soon be a fixture on the world’s diverse landscapes.
Jade Scully is a copywriter excited about writing copy and stories, blogging about the world and editing. She currently and regularly publishes her stories on a number of blogs. Jade loves animals and hopes to begin writing copy for the animal rescue charity TEARS as her contribution to the cause.
