Compressed Air Generator Integrated with Renewable Energy Source for Military Application

This paper presents the design and construction of a compressed air storage system integrated with solar power for military application. The prototype model developed is to explore a low cost and portable system for remote field application. The design and development of an air compressor unit with solar energy as input source using commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components is proposed. The design study serves as a proof of concept for building a solar-powered compressed air energy storage system integrated with an air motor and an alternator to store solar power and produce electricity as and when the need arises. The constructed Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) system has an efficiency of 53.7% and costs less than 1500 USD.