Fuel cells could break into mainstream use very soon, and that means big cuts in energy consumption. The US navy is reportedly ready to deploy generators powered by fuel cells. Meanwhile, a startup in Maryland claims it can offer a cheaper, longer lasting fuel cell than any on the market by next year.
But the short-term benefits of using less fuel (reducing the number of convoys needed to carry fuel around the battlefield reduces the number of vulnerable soldiers in the field) motivated the US Department of Defense Energy and Power Community of Interest, a collaboration between branches of the US military, to improve fuel cell technology for battlefield use. In its press release, the US military said it may use the technology to power naval war ships soon, too.