Applications - portable: Military: Batteries and fuel cells

Electrical power supply is a critical issue for all parts of modern armies, including today's and future foot soldiers. Batteries are the fundamental source of energy supply. However, where today mainly primary batteries are used in battlefield operations, future scenarios will more likely use secondary batteries in combination with fuel cells for recharging. Thereby, two lines of development are currently being pursued: larger recharging units in the range of 250 W carried by entire squads and smaller fuel cells in the range of 25 W carried by individual soldiers most likely as part of a soldier energy network.