According to the Ministry of Defence, a military camp is very much like a village: there is a need for water, food and energy. Whereas people in a village simply get their electricity from the mains, military personnel have to rely on diesel generators. This needs to change and be improved. Bart Linsen, an adviser on short-cycle innovative solutions, explains that the energy transition is a sensitive issue for the Ministry of Defence.
“In Afghanistan, we built base camps that were not sustainable. For energy, we were dependent on a fuel supply line from Pakistan. Not only is that expensive, but you are also heavily reliant on that single supply line. For the Ministry of Defence, the energy transition is not only a sustainable solution, but also a secure one.”
This quest to become independent from a fossil fuel supply is part of a larger Defence project: Smart Base. Together with industry and knowledge institutes, Defence is looking for a safe and sustainable military base in deployment areas. Companies are invited to show what such a future-proof military base should look like.
The Fieldlab Smart Base focuses on four themes in which the Ministry of Defence is keen to innovate:
Together, these four themes form the basis for the base camp of the future – independent of fuel supply lines and with a closed water cycle. In terms of logistics, think of self-sufficient units, 3D-printing of components or preventive maintenance. Smart Base gives us the opportunity to explore all of this.”
At the site in Ede, Defence plans to establish a base camp with four energy systems. "With four separate systems of generation, transmission, consumption and storage, you can properly test which approach works best. Do we use hybrid generators? Or do we work with hydrogen? It has to be robust and safe."
A good example of combined innovation is the Shaded Dome: a lightweight dome made from modern textiles. It is very light, has low energy consumption and protects against external influences. This innovation therefore falls within several themes.
The Protective Shelter is a good example of an innovation within the theme of Protection. It is a shelter that can be quickly assembled and disassembled and is fragment- and bulletproof. The Shelter is inflatable, so assembly is very quick. In total, there are now eight completed projects within the Fieldlab.
A lot of research is also done in the field of robotics and autonomous systems. "We do that in Oirschot. Think, for example, of autonomous injured transport: drones that pick up injured soldiers. That way you shorten the medical chain and need fewer people to transport injured people quickly to a medical aid station."
According to Linsen, the collaboration with local SMEs and the municipality of Ede is only natural. “Once we have developed a self-sufficient base camp, we can apply that to residential areas. Ultimately, the aim is for the whole of the Netherlands to benefit from our research.”
Are you curious about other innovative energy projects at Lifeport? We collect all the relevant news from the region on our website!
“In Afghanistan, we built base camps that were not sustainable. For energy, we were dependent on a fuel supply line from Pakistan. Not only is that expensive, but you are also heavily reliant on that single supply line. For the Ministry of Defence, the energy transition is not only a sustainable solution, but also a secure one.”
This quest to become independent from a fossil fuel supply is part of a larger Defence project: Smart Base. Together with industry and knowledge institutes, Defence is looking for a safe and sustainable military base in deployment areas. Companies are invited to show what such a future-proof military base should look like.
Innovation in four areas
The driving force behind the project is the Ministry of Defence’s Innovation Department. The aim is to establish a foundation that helps units achieve and maintain dominance. To achieve this, the Ministry of Defence is collaborating not only with innovative entrepreneurs but also with a number of research institutions. According to Linsen, the Ministry of Defence used to want to do a lot itself. “But that’s not really an option. In fact, developments outside the Ministry of Defence are accelerating rapidly. So we’ll get much further if we tackle innovations together and share our research. Our findings benefit society as a whole.”The Fieldlab Smart Base focuses on four themes in which the Ministry of Defence is keen to innovate:
- Protection
- Energy
- Water
- Logistics
Together, these four themes form the basis for the base camp of the future – independent of fuel supply lines and with a closed water cycle. In terms of logistics, think of self-sufficient units, 3D-printing of components or preventive maintenance. Smart Base gives us the opportunity to explore all of this.”
At the site in Ede, Defence plans to establish a base camp with four energy systems. "With four separate systems of generation, transmission, consumption and storage, you can properly test which approach works best. Do we use hybrid generators? Or do we work with hydrogen? It has to be robust and safe."
First results
The quest for innovation did not come out of the blue. Since 2016, the Ministry of Defence has been working on the Smart Base project, initially in Soesterberg. Now, a new Fieldlab is being built in Ede and the first results can be presented. For example, 17 companies are already collaborating with the Ministry of Defence and a number of prototypes have been delivered.A good example of combined innovation is the Shaded Dome: a lightweight dome made from modern textiles. It is very light, has low energy consumption and protects against external influences. This innovation therefore falls within several themes.
The Protective Shelter is a good example of an innovation within the theme of Protection. It is a shelter that can be quickly assembled and disassembled and is fragment- and bulletproof. The Shelter is inflatable, so assembly is very quick. In total, there are now eight completed projects within the Fieldlab.
Much more innovation
The Shaded Dome and Protective Shelter are just two examples of the many research projects currently underway at the Ede-Driesprong site. “The Ministry of Defence has traditionally been a major training organisation. We train every member of the armed forces who comes here. We therefore also want to build an OT&S (Education, Training and Simulation) facility where we will conduct tests using, amongst other things, VR, AR and Synthetic Wrapping.”A lot of research is also done in the field of robotics and autonomous systems. "We do that in Oirschot. Think, for example, of autonomous injured transport: drones that pick up injured soldiers. That way you shorten the medical chain and need fewer people to transport injured people quickly to a medical aid station."
Looking for more partners
Following the initial promising results, the Ministry of Defence is seeking further partners. “We want to take further steps in this area. Ultimately, we aim to work towards a genuine base camp, complete with mobile infrastructure. Then we’ll move beyond talk and get down to action.”According to Linsen, the collaboration with local SMEs and the municipality of Ede is only natural. “Once we have developed a self-sufficient base camp, we can apply that to residential areas. Ultimately, the aim is for the whole of the Netherlands to benefit from our research.”
Are you curious about other innovative energy projects at Lifeport? We collect all the relevant news from the region on our website!
