Active Solicitation

The Government acquires and uses many different types of energy storage systems that provide very specific electrical power levels and voltages by relying on specialty materials, components, and subassemblies. These systems are sometimes inadequate to accommodate growing energy storage demand, have manufacturing weaknesses, or reliance on foreign materials. A web search will provide background to the types of specialty batteries used by the Department of War (DoW). Other descriptions of these materials and required performance metrics are available with controlled distribution. The DoW uses many types of electrical energy storage and generation systems and in relatively small quantities by comparison to commercial users. Military energy storage systems are defined as, but are not limited to, reserve, primary (non-rechargeable) batteries, some type of secondary (rechargeable) batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, hybrid combinations, setback generators, and ram air turbines. These devices are made with optimized chemicals, materials and components to achieve the intended performance levels, and as such, can suffer from supply chain problems because many are unique and not interchangeable with readily available substitutes. When one of these specialty materials or processes becomes unusable or unavailable, major effort is usually required to find or develop economical substitutes.