Energy-independent and energy-efficient systems for military camps

Topic description

Objective:

The future battlefield is likely to be dominated by weapon systems, platforms and devices that require electric energy. This type of battlefield, previously purely oil-based from cradle to grave, to integrate energy management technologies, buffer storage resources and a camp/weapon system interface in a constrained and contested tactical environment, is in need of a comprehensive review of its energy production and distribution. It requires the implementation of a coherent and efficient energy network, from the energy production systems at operational level to the soldiers at tactical level, through all the layers of the distribution systems.

In parallel, the EU defence sector has to start its digital and green energy transition to contribute to the EU net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2050 and to anticipate growing energy costs linked to the vulnerability of fossil fuel supplies becoming increasingly scarce and disputed.

This development entails major risks for military activities. The multiplication of low-carbon energy sources and the risk of more complex logistics are an additional challenge for manoeuvres. It is also an opportunity to meet the growing demand for future weapons systems, platforms and devices.

An energy-independent and energy efficient deployable military camp, as part of the future electric battlefield, is the first step towards an operational and tactical integrated energy supply chain. It serves as a starting point, hub for innovative electric energy generation and efficient distribution throughout all levels. This includes initial definitions of interface between the stationary components (operational level) and the mobile components (tactical level) of the electric battlefield.

As the role of the military camps, as an energy provider has been emphasised, scaling-up of its technological bricks (energy generation, storage and distribution) needs to be amplified while covering a wide range of operational scenarios.

Specific objective

The specific objective of this topic is to substitute the fossil fuel dependency reduction in military deployable camps (support and mobility) without any drop of operational performances, in a context of increasing electrical energy demand in the battlefield. Moreover, investigation on the return of experience of the demonstration stage, should include specifications of a whole concept of energy independent and efficient deployable camps. Furthermore, the ability to support the diminution of their fossil fuel consumptions while maintaining operational performances, avoiding logistics, security burden and reducing logistics footprint should be validated.

Proposals must address a full-scale operational demonstrator of a deployable camp fulfilling interoperability between inter-allied armies and NATO, with a modular and easily deployable energy system and adaptable energy mix.

Proposals must pursue the feasibility study of different technologies to answer to the identified needs of the Member States and EDF Associated Countries while ensuring the interoperability of systems and taking into consideration opportunities such as autonomy or resilience. As innovative solutions evolve rapidly, the proposals should update results generated through the latest research in this domain. In addition, proposals should demonstrate the effectiveness of logistics and maintenance in different scenarios (e.g., Host Nation Support, Contractor Support to Operations or by military themselves).

Proposals must design and produce the solutions (production, storage and management modules, including control and command interfaces, communication protocols, and operational simulation and planning systems). In order to ensure their safe use, functional tests must be performed before the demonstration stage.

Proposals must address physical experiment of the most critical technological modules deployed in military camps, especially the most vulnerable ones toward harsh environmental conditions and demanding operational scenarios, including resilience against electronic warfare, cyber-attacks and electromagnetic pulse.

Proposals must split the demonstration of the technological modules in different locations hosted by several Member States in different representative environment (cold/warm weather, dust, number of occupants, deployment duration, type of mission, etc.). In addition, the proposals must validate a wide range of operational use cases and assess the adaptability of the technology for the deployment in different scenarios. Adding up, they should ensure testing, validation and qualification of the overall concept through simulation activities in real military context including in harsh conditions. Furthermore, the ability of the energy architectures and protocols endorsed to operate in civil-based (non-rugged) solutions should be demonstrated. The demonstration should cover the simulation and planning tools.

The focus must be on military use-cases, taking into account specific harsh military environment (cold/heat/dust), different deployments and conflict intensities (including the shift from low-intensity conflict to high-intensity warfare), different deployed infrastructures, different life-time phases of the camp (storage, building, operation and redeployment phase) and military heavy constraints (logistic, maintenance, training, risk management, unmanned).

Types of activities

The following table lists the types of activities which are eligible for this topic, and whether they are mandatory or optional (see Article 10(3) EDF Regulation):

Accordingly, the proposals must cover at least the following tasks as part of mandatory activities:

• Studies:
  • Study activities must build on ongoing, completed civil-based and military research and follow as well new solutions available on the market (hydrogen/synthetic fuels, non-fossil fuels from renewable sources, smart grid, microgrids, self-healing power systems, etc.) to validate the feasibility of deploying such solutions in operations areas. Some specific areas must be covered:
    • Study the emerging technological solutions becoming available on the market;
    • Analyse hydrogen or hydrogen based synthetic fuels to include recent development on substances identified as storage medium for hydrogen as ammonia, toluene, salt and solid matter, and assess the possibility to be employed in overseas camp (UxV, soldiers wearables, etc.);
    • Analyse smart grid integrating hybrid and electric vehicles in the camp scope, including fast charging systems, vehicle to grid concepts, wireless and fast charging docking for UxV;
    • Analyse heat recovery systems for increasing energy efficiency of power generators, thermal energy storages, i.e., water or phase change material (PCM)/ latent heat storages and waste treatment systems, including wastewater;
    • Analyse data monitoring tools (including meters) and management technologies, interface with tactical management systems as battlefield management and situational awareness tools;
    • Perform an accurate energy performance diagnosis;
    • Identify and select key technological solutions for a demonstration action: existing industrial solutions and adapting civilian products identified that are part of the energy independent and efficient deployable camps concept;
    • Study of the added value of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the camp’s energy management system and to prevent, detect and to respond to cyberattacks;
    • Study and implement up to date technological solutions in order to allow the forces to reduce fossil fuel consumption in military deployable camps;
    • Study the ability for such technological solutions to operate in a military context by integrating the logistics and financial aspect, and collateral benefits;
    • Study and update the risk assessment from demonstration actions: vulnerability, electromagnetic compatibility, detections of such systems, spare parts needs, possible collateral damages in case of destruction, cyberattacks, training;
    • Identify the needs of the interested Member States and EDF Associated Countries for demonstration actions;
    • Define aspects of standardisation of hardware and software interfaces (i.e., through the use of middleware or other) to allow the creation of a military camp in which different modules can be integrated through standard interfaces in accordance with Operational Energy Concept milestones (e.g., the draft available on the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence website) and the environmental protection for military camps (e.g., the NATO operations environmental protection best practices).
• Design:
  • Design and define energy efficient deployable camp architectures following preliminary existing research concepts in this area and covering the complete energy chain too;
  • Design and production of the energy modules (production, storage, management modules, as well as electrical and control/command equipment, communication protocols, operational simulation and planning tools);
  • Design a camp energy simulation and planning platform and validate its capacity to represent operational situations. The simulation and planning platform must be designed in a way that it can be updated and provide the ability to add new modules/characteristics of power sources, energy storages and consumers;
  • Design and set-up a full-scale operational demonstrator of a deployable military camp as the starting point of an energy supply chain, to validate the concept in operational conditions, and to support the development of a new advanced European capability for supplying electric energy on the battlefield;
  • Design should ensure that the outcomes of the proposals must include the definition of an EU energy efficient deployable camp standard, with a special interest on standardisation of hybrid and electric heavy vehicles supply and powering systems at the camp. Proposals must also pursue the development of the tool to predict and simulate energy production/consumption and determinate the most efficient camp architectures for planning activities;
  • Design should safeguard specifically the capacity to on-site produce, transport, store, distribute and use green hydrogen or green hydrogen based synthetic fuels in military context and to power supply in field operations;
  • Integrate individual tests at component/equipment level to ensure safety.
• System prototyping:
  • Functional testing of the energy modules at real power levels (test bench at full size) in order to confirm the global safety of the solutions, test the interoperability and connectivity of each module and test non-nominal electrical scenario (stress tests, breakdown, network resilience and reconfiguration).
• Testing:
  • The testing activities must involve the identification of key players in this domain, to ensure the inclusion of the European armies need addressing specific operational scenarios and different hypothesis of engagement. A special attention must be given to the technological modules which show vulnerability towards harsh environment or carrying potential risk to be operated in fields operations.
  • The testing must include the design of the appropriate experimental approach to demonstrate the capacity of the technological solutions to be operated in military context covering different deployment scenarios, with at least:
    • Geographic and climatic regions including at least an Arctic region, a continental climate region, an arid climate region and a tropical region;
    • Validate requirements against operational needs and mission requirements;
    • Perform the tests in specific harsh environments: extreme heat and cold, dust, high humidity
  • Test the use of hybrid and full electric vehicles, including military, logistic and construction vehicles (e.g., forklifts, excavators, cranes, ground moving equipment, etc.) that are used in the build-up phase, the operational phase, and the redeployment phase of a deployable military camp, including the evaluation and simulation of the use and possible impact on fuel reduction of those machines as part of the camp microgrid system (e.g., as extra energy storage and/or grid balancing).
  • Test the capacity to power hybrid and electric vehicles, including construction equipment (e.g., forklifts, excavators, cranes, ground moving equipment, etc.) and military platforms (e.g., UxV, robots, DEW, soldiers, etc) in operations.
  • Test the capacity to produce, transport, store, distribute and use alternate non-fossil fuels from renewable sources to explore the convenience of integrating fossil fuels with zero or low impact on the carbon footprint in the military environment.
  • Different existing concepts of deployment for overseas operations, at least including deployed force infrastructure.
  • Three scenarios reflecting different number of camps occupants: 50 personnels, 250 personnels and 2000 personnels;
  • A peacetime and low-intensity scenario and a high-intensity war scenario demonstrating the energy network's capacity for reconfiguration;
  • A test preparation and coordination between industrial partners and hosting Member States, by defining an adequate Data Collection Plan. In addition, ensure security and proper analysis of the data collected;
  • Demonstrator testing, both tactics and logistics (including maintenance);
  • Individual tests at component and equipment level to ensure safety (e.g., CE certification).
  • To prove the performance of the capacity, the testing must be performed following realistic operational conditions, for a representative period for each demonstrator module. Physical testing must be completed with simulation activities (e.g., SIMEX - Simulation Exercise) through the digital model elaborated. The testing must be organised in collaboration with the supporting Member states and EDF Associated Countries (e.g., in collaboration with NATO “Capable logisticians” exercise and with the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and Energy Operational Function EOF partners) to articulate the interoperability of the solutions with the allies.

The proposals must substantiate synergies and complementarities with foreseen, ongoing or completed activities in the field of energy-efficient systems for military camps, notably those described in the call topic EDF-2021-ENERENV-D-EEMC related to Energy independent and efficient systems for military camps.

Moreover:

• projects addressing activities referred to in point (d) above must be based on harmonised defence capability requirements jointly agreed by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries (or, if studies within the meaning of point (c) are still needed to define the requirements, at least on the joint intent to agree on them)
• projects addressing activities referred to in points (e) to (h) above, must be:
  • supported by at least two Member States or EDF associated countries that intend to procure the final product or use the technology in a coordinated manner, including through joint procurement

and

• • based on common technical specifications jointly agreed by the Member States or EDF associated countries that are to co-finance the action or that intend to jointly procure the final product or to jointly use the technology (or, if design within the meaning of point (d) is still needed to define the specifications, at least on the joint intent to agree on them).

For more information, please check section 6.

Functional requirements

The proposed product and technologies must meet the following functional requirements:

• Lower the fossil fuel dependency of deployable camps and foster their energy autonomy and improve the use of an extensive energy mix, including a growing share of renewable energy;
• Improve the energy autonomy of the camp: use of renewable sources, production and storage of its own electricity or sustainable fuel, integration of smart electricity grid and energy management system, implementation of cogeneration of power and heat from different non-fossil sources, including renewable sources (i.e., combination of solar panels and heat pumps), with a minimum of maintenance and cost-efficient solutions;
• Improve the deployment of hydrogen solutions in operational areas particularly in terms of onsite production (from renewable sources) transportation and storage;
• Improve the operational capacity of the camp: reducing the noise and detection/signature, reducing the logistical convoys in fossil fuels and integration of the energy awareness inside battle management systems;
• Improve the energy supply of current, future weapon systems, operational energy planification with digital twins, machine learning, and AI technologies;
• Promote plug-and-play and easy-to-use solutions in order to limit human resources burden and be effective maintainable,
• Be modular and be integrated in extensive military operational configurations, from foreground infrastructure to equipment deployed close to the threats,
• Be protected against military risks and natural disasters, taking into account climate change effects;
• Be easily and rapidly transportable (even air-transportable), deployable and removable without involving a lot of labour force, in different geographic and climatic regions from arctic to tropical regions, housed in ISO containers (e.g., an ISO 20 feet container type “1C” or under);
• Be compliant with cyber-defence and cyber-security requirements;
• Be agile and easily reconfigurable with open interfaces and communication protocols allowing the integration of future solutions and use of civil-based (non-robust) solutions deployed in harsh operational circumstances (e.g., in a downgraded mode);
• Be based on components developed and manufactured in Europe in order to foster the European autonomy and sovereignty;
• Be interoperable between allied armies and NATO and be tested in a representative military environment;
• Be compliant with relevant national, European and global regulations and standards.

The outcome must contribute to:

• Reduce dependencies on non-European suppliers by boosting the EDTIB and promoting the development of a European solution.
• Improving the armed forces autonomy, resilience, interoperability and capabilities in operations to support the growing needs of electrical energy for the weapons systems in the battlefield,
• A decrease in the total costs of ownership of deployed capacities and supporting the growing needs of electrical energy for the weapons systems in the battlefield,
• Enhancing the competitiveness and innovation capacity of the EU defence industry in the area of new energies,
• Completing the global European strategy for renewable and sustainable energy, hence tackling the climate change,
• Adapting to civilian sustainable energy technology, military requirements and develop European standards,
• Improving the logistics processes and the ability to perform effective maintenance.