Alternative energy at Iraqi checkpoints

Coalition forces engineers say they’re meeting electricity challenges in remote areas of Iraq by building alternative energy systems for border checkpoints.

The engineers are partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fund and build alternative energy systems for border security facilities in remote locations, the U.S. military said Tuesday in a news release.

The engineering team designed a system that leverages solar panels and a large wind turbine, which they call energy in a box, for a checkpoint southeast of Baghdad. The wind turbine and solar panels are connected to a switch gear so both power sources can generate electricity, depending on the environmental conditions, the military said.

Iraqi Border Enforcement teams run the systems, while U.S. military personnel offer training on how to operate and maintain the facilities.

Also, the military said, the costs for the solar-wind systems are less over the long term compared with the expense of transporting fuel to large generators along the Iraqi border.