Army research helps advance industry-developed hybrid microgrid during exercise in the Philippines

ADELPHI, Md. — Army researchers partnered with industry during an exercise in the Philippines to assess the operational potential of an experimental hybrid microgrid designed to provide reliable, adaptable power for Soldiers operating in austere, distributed and contested environments.

During Exercise Balikatan earlier this year, researchers at the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory, conducted operational experimentation with the Rapid Deployment Hybrid Microgrid, or RDHM, an industry-developed system from Resilient Energy & Infrastructure.

RDHM is designed to integrate generation, battery storage, power distribution and energy management into modular packages that can operate independently or as part of a networked energy architecture.

“Operational energy is a warfighting requirement,” said Dr. Andre Slonopas, ARL program lead. “If we expect formations to operate dispersed, remain mobile and continue the mission when logistics and infrastructure are contested, then the energy architecture has to be just as resilient as the systems it supports. RDHM is about building that resilience into the force from the beginning.”

REI developed and manufactures RDHM, while ARL provided the scientific expertise to help transition the industry-developed technology from research to operational use. During the exercise, Soldiers provided feedback on the system’s setup, integration and performance, while ARL researchers collected data to inform continued technology refinement and future Army decisions.

“The approach also supports the Army's effort to learn through experimentation before committing to larger-scale fielding,” Slonopas said. “Data and warfighter feedback collected during operational events are key to informing system configuration, manufacturing, training and future acquisition decisions.”

Unlike conventional expeditionary power approaches that depend primarily on continuously operating standalone generators, RDHM uses stored energy and automated management to reduce generator operation while maintaining power for mission systems. This approach can buffer rapid shifts in power consumption, maintain continuity during generator transitions or grid disruptions, and support periods of low-signature silent watch operations.

“Balikatan gave us the opportunity to move this technology beyond the laboratory and put it into an operational environment where Soldiers have the opportunity to employ it,” said Jake Strahan, ARL experimentation lead. “From a research perspective, that’s where we learn what works, what needs adjustment, and how RDHM can contribute to the way our formations operate across the vast Pacific.”

The team studied how the system could provide reliable power for command-and-control systems, communications, sensors and other mission equipment while reducing dependence on continuously operating generators and fuel resupply.

Initial results indicated RDHM reduced generator runtime by an estimated 30 to 50 percent and extended silent-watch capability from minutes to several hours, depending on mission demand and system configuration. The RDHM architecture provides commanders options to distribute power assets across multiple locations rather than concentrating generation at a single point.

The technology’s development was supported by two Army-supported business innovation programs. Initially, the research received Army Small Business Innovation Research funding, managed by ARL, and later the Department of War’s Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies, or APFIT, program, which is intended to speed promising capabilities into operational use.

“For the warfighter, energy has to be available where the mission happens, not simply where the infrastructure happens to exist,” said Paul Maloney, founder of Resilient Energy & Infrastructure. “Our objective with RDHM is to give commanders a modular energy capability that can move with the force, operate independently when necessary, and connect with other systems when the mission requires it.”

RDHM is particularly relevant to the Pacific, where distance, geography and dispersed operations can complicate traditional sustainment. Reducing generator runtime can lower fuel requirements, while battery-supported operations can enable extended periods of silent operation and reduce dependence on continuous generator use.

“Deploying these systems in an exercise environment allows us to see the entire problem, transportation, setup, integration, power management, and how the system responds as operational requirements change,” said Mr. Ludo Roche, REI solutions program manager. “The value is not just producing electricity. It is giving the force a flexible energy architecture that can adapt as units disperse, move, and reconfigure.”

RDHM has also participated in experimentation and evaluation activities, including Bold Quest, Cyber Fortress, and U.S. Pacific Command integration events. These operational assessments provide researchers with data and Soldier feedback to refine system configurations, inform training requirements and support future transition and acquisition decisions.

“The team has been very fortunate to work with the Joint Staff J6 Bold Quest team over the past two years,” Strahan said. “Participating in Bold Quest has given our team access to multiple environments, partners, and scenarios that are invaluable when it comes to collect data and improving the RDHM.”

The research team took the lessons learned and are working to improve RDHM in the lab.

The Army and National Guard are planning to procure RDHM systems for the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force, National Guard formations and special operations forces.

“Our end goal is an energy architecture that supports Soldiers wherever the mission requires them to operate,” Slonopas said. “We are working to translate fundamental research in energy storage, power electronics and autonomous controls into capabilities that Soldiers need. Exercises such as Balikatan give us the operational insight needed to understand how these systems perform, where they need improvement and how they may inform future Army decisions.”

ABOUT DEVCOM ARL DEVCOM ARL is the Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory serving as the nexus of science between the military, academia and industry. Operating under the U.S. Army Futures and Autonomous Systems Command, ARL executes globally recognized research to accelerate delivery of war-winning, disruptive technologies for tomorrow’s Army.

For information, visit theArmy Research Laboratory website.

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