"Hampel said using solar tents would reduce the need for diesel powered generators and diminish the "thermal signature" that enemy sensors use to track troop location. She said soldiers could carry smaller flexible solar panels and unfold them during the day to collect energy to recharge their personal communications equipment.

This would enable soldiers to lighten their loads of extra battery packs, which are sometimes left behind and reveal the soldiers' presence, according to Hampel. While Iowa Thin Film's PowerFilm products are ready for field use, the Army's "type classification" process, which enables them to be purchased in bulk, will require one to two years of additional testing. "