May 28, 2019 Karlene Fine, Executive Director North Dakota Industrial

May 28, 2019

Karlene Fine, Executive Director North Dakota Industrial Commission State Capitol – 14th Floor 600 East Boulevard Ave Dept 405 Bismarck, ND 58505-0840

Dear Ms. Fine,

Packet Digital is responding with additional detail to provide clarification of the proposed Renewable Energy Project, “Portable Solar Array Modules.” Within this project Packet Digital, Nishati, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory team together to create a portable solar system with one third more power in almost half the footprint. We are delighted to have the opportunity to share more details regarding the current market, competitive landscape and our differentiating factors in power generation, ruggedization, integration, and ease of use.

If you have questions I can be reached at 701-365-4421 or [email protected]. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Terri Gunn Zimmerman CEO Packet Digital, LLC 201 N 5th St, Suite 1500 Fargo, ND 58102 enc

Page 1 of 16 We propose portable solar with 36% more power in 42% less space and 80% less setup time

The demand for renewable energy continues to rise, and an increasingly growing segment of the market is portable solar, which has become an important resource for mobile military units and outposts. Nishati, one of Packet Digital’s partners on this project, currently sells 300 units (420W arrays) per month to the armed forces and estimates an advanced revision of the product will garner more demand in the coming years. Portable solar also offers commercial benefits for everything from mobile laboratories and work stations to powering emergency shelters and even providing the primary source of lights and electricity in remote towns and villages worldwide. World Bank Group’s Lighting Global Off-Grid Solar Market Trends Report 2016 estimates the number of households relying on off-grid solar will rise from 25 million in 2015 to 99 million by 2020. Navigant Research forecasts the global portable solar market will grow from $550 million in 2014 to $2.4 billion in 2024 (~15.87 CAGR).

Packet Digital is poised to be the primary electronics designer and system integrator of a military-grade, portable solar array unit that will offer the ruggedness, reliability, and longevity to stand up against extreme temperatures and wind common to many remote parts of the world and even harsh conditions in proximity to natural disasters. The product will also provide one third more power in almost half the space of existing products. By supplying portable solar products to the military that can also capture a percentage of global commercial market, Packet Digital will achieve a big economic win for the state of North Dakota while delivering electricity necessary to keep our troops safe and an improved way to life to millions of families around the globe.

Competitive Landscape There are a number of solar products on the market. The military has been using solar in the battlefield and forward operating bases for many years. Currently, the military is primarily using two PV/storage systems in the class that we are targeting with our proposed solution. One system manufactured by UEC Electronics and meets the Marine Corps Ground Renewable Expeditionary Energy Network System (GREENS) specifications. This system provides a 300W continuous (24/7) / 1000W peak capability that is scalable to 5000W. The system is robust, but very expensive. PV/MPPT efficiency is in the 92-97% range with lower overall system efficiency. Nishati provides the Advanced Integrated Solar Panel Case Assembly (Nishati Expedition 420) component to this system and program. Our proposed system builds upon this system and improves in some key areas.

The other premiere military PV/storage system in this class is the Alternative Energy System (AES), and various configurations of components fielded by Solar Stik. At least one Army program uses the AES as a hybrid power system to power persistent surveillance towers in remote areas. These systems also employ Nishati Expedition 420 as the solar component and are deployed overseas in several austere locations throughout the U.S. Central Command geographic area of responsibility.

Both of these systems employ controllers and storage as separate, modular components.

Additionally, the Forward Operating Renewable Generator (FORGE) series of products is manufactured by ZeroBase (Ferndale, MI) and DRS Technologies is also now a competitor for the USMC Mobile Electric Hybrid Power System program, which is in development and intended to be interoperable with the GREENS as part of a scalable continuum. These systems are also based on the Nishati Expedition 420 panel with external components.

A number of companies offer foldable thin-film solar panels with controllers, such as Iris Technologies and Brentronics, that adapt to military batteries, but are not integrated systems.

Page 2 of 16 Problems with the current state-of-the-art PV systems used by the military include: ● Overly complex and costly solar racking systems to achieve weight, volume, and ease of setup and pack-up.

● Available glass-free solar panels that interface with the USMC Advanced Integrated Solar Panel Case Assembly (AISPCA) rollable racking system are overly complex and costly.

● Extremely costly controller / power management components in order to meet size, weight, and military hardening specifications

● Cumbersome number, size, and weight of separate components and cabling

● Thin-film PV performance is poor and degrades in field conditions Below is a comparison between a competing product in the market and our proposed system.

UEC Our system Difference Notes System STC Power (W) 420 570 36% Weight (lbs) 74 114 54% Our system includes electronics and the UEC system does not 2 Deployed Area (ft ) 39.3 22.9 -42% Our system provides 36% more power in 42% less space 3 3 Stowed Volume (ft ) 4.1 6.4 56% AISPCA Specification was 6.5 ft Gravimetric Power Density 5.7 6.7 18% 3 (W/ft ) Surface Power Density 10.7 24.9 133% 2 (W/ft ) 2-person Set up time (min) 5 1 -80% Our system provides 36% more power with 80% less setup time Max of 2-person lift? Yes Yes

We propose 36% more power in 42% less space with 80% less setup time. There are a number of commercially available systems in this power range with competitive pricing, but they are not comparable to the proposed solution for the following reasons:

● Constructed with heavy, rigid glass cover sheets and aluminum frames which are bulky and can trap sand and other debris around the edges. Low performance in certain environmental conditions and not ideal for a portable application

● Do not easily fold up into a compact, rugged enclosure

● Sold as kits of components that must be connected together, resulting in a complex, fragile system

● Setup and teardown is not fast and simple

● Not tested to military specifications for operating environments and transportation Our Solution

Page 3 of 16 The aim of our proposed system is to build an optimized, flexible, and scalable system from the ground up that takes advantage of the state of the art in PV, electronics, and energy storage. The system being proposed consolidates components to reduce complexity and cost and takes advantage of innovative designs to reduce the deployed footprint; all while improving PV performance and maintaining the required ruggedization and robustness.

Differentiating features of the proposed system include: ● The energy density of the proposed system exceeds anything that is on the market in this space and will be one of the only Mil-Std 810G survivable solar systems.

● Reducing the deployed footprint and increasing the power capability increases the number of mission sets and scenarios that can apply a renewable energy solution

● Consolidating components eases the transportation, configuration management, and sustainment burden of current systems

● With the advent of trailer-mounted hybrid power systems, the proposed system will provide its own protected modular stowage on trailers and easy deployment from trailers.

Nishati currently has a patent on its unique panel design. We will protect our competitive advantage through a combination of patents and trade secrets regarding the design and manufacturing of several different elements and aspects of the PV and integrated case/racking system.

Responses to Reviewer

1. The objectives or goals of the proposed project with respect to clarity and consistency with North Dakota Industrial Commission/Renewable Energy Council goals are: 1 – very unclear; 2 – unclear; 3 – clear; 4 – very clear; or 5 – exceptionally clear.

Reviewer 1A (Rating: 2) While the goals of the proposed project are laudable, the NDICREC goals are more specific to fostering renewable energy development in North Dakota, utilizing the natural resources there and developing the industry there. The applications for this proposed solution are predominantly outside of North Dakota. There is a potentially positive jobs impact, but that is described in the proposal as “six to eight jobs” during the course of the project. Assuming a successful project, the commercialized electronics would be assembled in North Dakota, but it’s unclear what the jobs impact of assembling just the electronics portion of these systems will be, as most of the rest of the overall hardware system are sourced elsewhere.

Reviewer 2A (Rating 2) The project objective targets enhancement of the solar portable generation systems (PSG1 and PSG-C1000) developed in the Phase I effort, with the specific goals of reducing the complexity of the manufacturing process and ensuring that the system meets known customer application requirements. Of the four main participants in the proposed project, two are located in ND – Packet Digital and Chiptronics. The team indicates the project would result in “significant” economic impact to ND through the employment of six to eight persons for the duration of the project. This overlaps with the ND REC goal of retention of ND jobs in renewable energy resources, though the team does not quantitatively discuss retention or even production of jobs beyond the Phase II project. This limits the impact significantly since it is not clear what the expected level of lasting impact on renewable energy jobs will be. The project is focused on the development of a renewable energy product that, if successful, is to be manufactured partially in

Page 4 of 16 ND. This will likely align with the ND REC goals of increasing awareness of renewable energy products and increased production of renewable energy products in the state. The primary focus of the product is military application with some interest in development of the system for civilian use. If such a translation occurs, the expected volume and deployment locally in ND would likely increase, offering greater impact and alignment with the ND REC goals.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 4) The team plan to design and develop the Portable Solar product with overall system efficiency of >95% with electronics weighing 12 lbs and set up time in one minute. The development of a reliable, portable power system with robust battery storage powered by clean, renewable energy is very important. The goals of the proposed project are very clear. Because their primary target market is the military and security teams, the stability of the Portable Solar product is very important, especially at the extremely conditions. The following factors should be concerned, such as the waterproof design of the product, the low temperature performance of batteries and the service life and safety of product.

Response - The employment of six to eight persons for the duration of the project is an estimate from Packet Digital only, the actual number will be higher if we consider Chiptronics team. Moreover, when the project finally reaches production stage beyond Phase II, it will potentially create even more employment opportunities in North Dakota, especially manufacturing and assembly jobs for the electronics portion of the system, which is a substantial part of the product. It is our hope and our belief that starting with Chiptronics, as a certified Native American owned small disadvantaged business, manufacturing and assembly job market in North Dakota will be positively impacted by the success of this project.

Chiptronics Jobs Estimate 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

PROJ REVENUE $0 $500,000 $1,148,000 $6,650,000 $15,411,000

JOBS CREATED 0 3 7 40 93

In objective 2, task 2, we will reinforce the enclosure design to pass the MIL-STD compliance tests, which includes humidity and rain tests.

2. With the approach suggested and time and budget available, the objectives are: 1 – not achievable; 2 – possibly achievable; 3 – likely achievable; 4 – most likely achievable; or 5 – certainly achievable.

Reviewer 1A (Rating: 4) The proposed Phase II steps are clear and seem feasible, especially given the strong partners involved in the work.

Reviewer 2A (Rating: 3) The project plan includes 7 primary objectives. The first three objectives (1-3) involve simplifying the manufacturing process of the PSG1 by improved design and modifications of the PSG-C1000 for weight reduction. These goals are likely achievable with no major risks with the budget

Page 5 of 16 available. Similarly, Objectives 4 and 7 target integration/field testing and exploration of new designs for hybridization in power generation, respectively. Both are feasible within the listed budget with no expected risks. Objectives 5 and 6 include testing for FCC and MIL-STD compliance, respectively. No detail on the expected costs or typical timelines for such testing was provided. Also, there was no indication of how many or which specific tests are to be conducted. For example, there are a considerable number of MIL-STD tests. Which ones are to be included for testing and how many units are required for validation and statistical certainty? Without such detail, it is difficult to determine the feasibility of these two objectives to meet the timeline and budget of the project.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 3) The approach suggested, time and budget are basically reasonable. If the following problem is well addressed, the objectives are more achievable. Product position is suggested to be more exact. Only one kind of Portable Solar product is difficult to meet all the requirement from military, commercial use and civil use. So, the Portable Solar Products with different configuration should be produced for different users.

Response - For the FCC compliance test, specifically we are planning to have FCC part 15 testing done on the system. For MIL-STD compliance test, there are several relevant test methods that will be done: shock and vibration (MIL-STD-810G method 514.6 and 516.6), temperature (MIL-STD-810G method 501.5 and 503.5), sand and dust (MIL-STD-810G method 510.5), humidity (MIL-STD-810G method 507.5), and rain (MIL-STD-810G method 506.5). A total of five units will be built for testing. We are allocating fifteen weeks for all the tests.

Please see the expanded version of Phase II objectives section.

As Reviewer 3A states, “Different configuration for different users would require additional development time and resources”. Commercial version can be developed after the military version is successful.

3. The quality of the methodology displayed in the proposal is: 1 – well below average; 2 – below average; 3 – average; 4 – above average; or 5 – well above average.

Reviewer 1A (Rating:3) The proposal isn’t very clear about what portion of the overall system is already being tackled – I had to read it several times to understand that this was just about the electronics (inverter, etc) that would connect to already commercially-available solar panels. A clearer summary up front (versus describing it as a “portable solar power generation system”, which to me implies a fully integrated hardware/software development effort) would help.

As I better understood the scope of the project upon re-reading, much of the methodology made more sense. However, it would have been helpful to understand more about the testing that would be done. What are the operating characteristics that the system must achieve in the field test to be deemed successful?

Reviewer 2A (Rating: 2) The high-level project plan is clear and appropriate, but the project is severely lacking in the area of metrics and specifics of the actual project tasks. There are no quantitative milestones or targets for the tasks. Strong methodology should include quantitative targets for the listed tasks. Page 6 of 16 For example, Objective 3 aims to reduce the weight of the PSG-C1000. What is the current weight and target weight of the system? Task 1 of this objective is to survey and evaluate economical energy storage options, though is not clear how these will be evaluated if there is no weight requirement being targeted. There may be several options, but one expects there to be multiple tradeoffs that should be compared along with a weight target to properly identify the best candidate. There was no discussion or detail on this. Likewise, Objective 6 involved the MIL-STD testing and certification, yet there is no identification of the specific MIL-STD tests that are to be used, leaving the Objective highly underdefined.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 4) Currently the PSG-C1000 inverter module weights 30lbs and about 40% of the weight is contributed from the sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries inside the enclosure. The weight of the product can be reduced by using Li ion batteries. The battery performance also can be improved by Li ion batteries. The products can be equipped with different kind of batteries. Lead acid (SLA) batteries with a low cost and Li ion batteries with a high performance can be selected by different users with different requirement.

Response - Factors to be evaluated in the test including but not limited to: power output generation, battery charging operation, battery discharging operation, available solar power indicator, power usage indicator, power tracking operation, battery usage balancing operation, and battery charge balancing operation. Successful field test will be indicated by proper operation of all the above factors.

For the PSG-C1000 alternatives energy storage we are targeting at least 5lbs weight reduction.

Please see the expanded version of Phase II objectives section for more information.

4. The scientific and/or technical contribution of the proposed work to specifically address North Dakota Industrial Commission/Renewable Energy Council goals will likely be: 1 – extremely small; 2 – small; 3 – significant; 4 – very significant; or 5 – extremely significant.

Reviewer 1A (Rating: 3) It would be good to ask if the project can utilize more local resources, produce more local jobs (with more specificity), or more purposefully describe applications that would be relevant within the North Dakota renewables industry – perhaps specific pilot customers outside of military applications? I want to support the idea that this proposal can further the goals of the NDICREC, it’s just not made clear in this current version of the proposal.

Reviewer 2A (Rating:2) The technical contribution of the proposed work is rather small in the context of the ND REC goals. The project scope is primarily to refine the existing designs of the two portable solar generation systems for military application. There is mention of looking at civilian application such as first responder use, but the project does not target specific tasks for this interest. Given that the focus is military application, the deployment of the technology in ND is likely to be limited.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 4)

Page 7 of 16 Solar energy is a clean and sustainable energy. The development of a reliable, portable power system with robust battery storage powered by clean, renewable energy will have a significant impact on North Dakota.

Response - The Phase II project is proposed as a continuation of Phase I and we would like to bring the prototype into production stage by concentrating in the military market first and progress towards civilian applications applicable in North Dakota. Packet Digital is poised to be the primary electronics designer and system integrator of a military-grade, portable solar array unit that offers the ruggedness, reliability, and longevity to stand up against extreme temperatures and wind common to many remote parts of the world and even harsh conditions in proximity to natural disasters. Supplying portable solar products to the military can also capture a percentage of global market which according to Navigant Research is approximately $1.15B in 2019, Packet Digital will achieve a big economic win for the state of North Dakota while delivering electricity necessary to keep our troops around the globe safe. The product will produce more local jobs in general and manufacturing jobs in particular for Chiptronics.

After delivery of military product, Packet Digital intends to evaluate the commercial opportunity further and seek potential commercial partners.

5. The principal investigator’s awareness of current research activity and published literature as evidenced by literature referenced and its interpretation and by the reference to unpublished research related to the proposal is: 1 – very limited; 2 – limited; 3 – adequate; 4 – better than average; or 5 – exceptional.

Reviewer 1A (Rating: 3) My biggest critique here is that it’s just plainly stated that nothing like this exists in the military arena, but nothing is provided to explain what the existing solutions DO look like. Obviously the military does have some kind of existing solution in this application space, as demonstrated from this 2011 article that in fact cites the now-CEO of Nishati:

https://www.afcea.org/content/marines-test-alternative-power-afghanistan

My belief is that, given the caliber and experience of the people behind this proposal, there is probably a significant operational performance advantage being pursued. But it’s just not made clear in the proposal what that is. Citations of 95% efficiency, as far as I understand, are simply comparable to what is available in existing commercial solar inverter / BOP offerings (note: this is system efficiency of kWh received from the panels and turned into usable power, whereas the Rating Summary R040-B Page 5 panels themselves are subject to a completely different efficiency metric, I would guess in the range of 20%, just another instance of where the proposal was confusing).

Furthermore, the proposal does a lot of waving of hands at the idea that there are significant benefits from the project to the broader off-grid market. But as far as the proposal seems to indicate, the solution being developed here is very specific to the military application and even very specific to the Nishati type panel system. Again, there may be significant operational and/or cost benefits of this combined off-grid system versus status quo offerings, but there is no exploration here of what those existing offerings are or why this would be an important improvement over them.

Reviewer 2A (Rating: 3)

Page 8 of 16 The proposed project description lacks a discussion of competing products and known requirements for the target applications. That said, much of the project relates to modification and improvement of their existing designs, limiting the need for deep knowledge of other research work in the literature. The proposal would have been strengthened by more specifics on the application requirements (quantitatively) and listing of the specific FCC and MIL-STD tests that are to be used. Omission of this does create some concern that the team is not fully aware of such testing. Although such tests are planned to occur at accredited testing labs, the team should have an ancillary knowledge.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 3) Although, this is an applied research without much published literature to compare, based on the information of the proposal, PIs have adequate knowledge to develop the advanced technology.

Response - Currently the military uses solar panels in conjunction with external electronics in separate (racking) systems and in separate enclosures. For example, the MPPT and the battery chargers do not reside in the same enclosure package as the solar panel. The existing battery chargers are unidirectional, in the sense that they will only charge batteries but are not able to use the batteries’ energy to provide power. An additional converter device is needed when the military want to use the battery to help providing power to the load. This requires more logistics to handle, more space for storage, more complex setups, and more time for setting the system up. Nishati’s solar panel’s efficiency is currently above 19%, but what we are offering here is an integrated solution that not only will address all of the above limitations, but also has the ability to use the same battery chargers as power converter to be used to power the load when the sun is not available, all in one package enclosure. It is an intelligent hybrid system and there is nothing like it available in the military market at the moment.

Below is a comparison between a competing product in the market and our proposed system.

In summary, our system provides 36% more power in 42% less space, deployed in 80% less time, and offers hybrid functionality that no other product has.

Page 9 of 16 For the specific FCC and MIL-STD compliance tests to be performed, please see the expanded version of Phase II objectives section.

Packet Digital sees the off grid market as a significant opportunity and will pursue after delivering product to Nishati and the military markets.

7. The project management plan, including a well-defined milestone chart, schedule, financial plan, and plan for communications among the investigators and subcontractors, if any, is: 1 – very inadequate; 2 – inadequate; 3 – adequate; 4 – very good; or 5 – exceptionally good.

Reviewer 1A (Rating 5) Clearly laid out and seems feasible

Reviewer 2A (Rating:2) The team provided a Gantt chart showing the distribution of the primary tasks of the project over its 9-month duration. While all tasks are shown, there are no milestones listed, nor any quantitative targets that can be used to verify that the objectives were met. This is a critical shortcoming of the project. A key focus of the Phase II project is to improve the two systems designed in Phase I, with the goal of making them capable of meeting the manufacturing, cost, and performance requirements of the intended applications. The project lacks specific quantitative requirements for the two systems, and this in turn results in the omission of quantitative milestones for the associated tasks.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 4) The tasks schedule is provided with a well-organized plan although the milestone is not very clear. It is also better to mention periodic teleconferences for the communication with collaborators.

Response - Targeted milestones includes: completion of electronic board design and energy storage selection, completion of system integration and test, completion of FCC compliance test, and completion of MIL-STD compliance tests. Please see the expanded version of Phase II objectives and timetable sections for more information.

Periodic update meetings and teleconferences between collaborators will be done in a similar arrangement as in Phase I (bi-weekly or as needed base).

10. The proposed budget “value” 1 relative to the outlined work and the financial commitment from other sources is of: 1 – very low value; 2 – low value; 3 – average value; 4 – high value; or 5 – very high value. (See below)

Reviewer 1A (Rating: 5) NRL commitment to matching at least 50% of the project costs.

Reviewer 2A (Rating: 3) The project indicates a 50% match level, meeting the minimum requirement of financial commitment from other non-NDIC sources. One concern is that this match ($500k) is provided fully by NRL, and it is not clear from the project tasks that the NRL team will constitute more than 50% of the labor of the project. The project would have benefitted from a labor matrix showing

Page 10 of 16 how the effort of team members will be distributed across the project tasks. This would also simplify verifying that expended labor by NRL is in fact part of the proposed project am compliant to the requirements for being counted as cost share. This area of project evaluation is specific to the “value” of the financial commitment from other sources, so despite my noted reservations about the NRL match and how it will actually be applied to the project, I did not reduce the score based on this. My rating in this area is solely based on the 50% minimum that was met.

Reviewer 3A (Rating 4) The cost share value is high. If it is true, the proposed budget request with the high cost share make the total budget of the project valuable.

Response - The NRL Team will be led by Dr. Phil Jenkins. Phil has created and led a team at NRL with expertise in portable solar power systems. Phil’s team has evaluated solar vendors, components and integrations. They have executed several user evaluations and worked to improve the efficiency, reduce weight and increase the ruggedness in mobile solar power.

NRL maintains a full solar cell characterization laboratory including light I-V, dark I-V and spectral response measurements, as well as calibrated solar cells, small and large area solar simulators for characterizing solar arrays in the laboratory. For field monitoring solar arrays, NRL uses custom built circuitry with a calibrated global radiometer, to provide fast accurate solar array characterization. For power system performance verification, NRL uses software controlled battery simulators and an Agilent solar array simulator for power management system inputs. NRL has the expertise and experience inserting in situ monitoring sensors in power management systems and automating data collection for validating long term system performance.

Dr. Phil Jenkins

Phil has conducted PV research, serving U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Energy and NASA missions for 25 years. His work includes wide ranging topics including high-efficiency III-V solar cells, thermophotovoltaics and solar cells for extreme environments. He has served as the Principal Investigator or Cognizant Engineer on seven spaceflight experiments, including two for the Mars Exploration Program and three for the ISS. His publications and patents in the areas of semiconductor devices, materials and applications have received over 1300 citations. He is currently working on adapting solar cells for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), energy harvesting underwater, high-operating-temperature solar cells as well as solar cell concentrator systems for space and utility-scale solar arrays.

Both Packet Digital and Nishati have worked with Dr Phil Jenkin’s team at NRL in building mobile power solutions. The NRL team helped to bring this partnership together to solve a need for the Marines in rugged power solutions. Both Nishati and NRL understand the requirements and opportunity for improving portable solar power and the potential to save lives by reducing the logistical trail in the field. Less fuel transportation in the battlefield can save lives and solar power provides the soldier the ability to carry more ammunition and water. NRL is currently working with Packet Digital to provide 100W and 300W solar power systems that incorporate all the same attributes as the proposed system, but for a different application: UAVs. The testing and design requirements learned with these systems will aid and decrease the development time for the system in this proposal.

Page 11 of 16 NRL will assist in the design, development, and testing of the portable solar array modules. NRL has expertise in solar cell development, providing technical direction and feature management for portable solar power systems and in field testing including real-world user evaluation. NRL will assist Packet Digital in the testing requirements and the component testing of the maximum power point tracker and portable solar electronic components and our portable solar system.

Please comment in a general way about the merits and flaws of the proposed project and make a recommendation whether or not to fund.

Reviewer 1A I’ve had to rate this proposal fairly low on a few categories. However, much of that is simply because information in the proposal was confusing or incomplete. Given the team gathered around this exercise (not just the PIs but the broader group), I strongly expect that the answers to my questions above will come back strongly supportive of this project’s efforts. With additional information provided, this proposal could be greatly strengthened.

Reviewer 2A (Fund) The Phase II effort primarily involves refinement of the Phase I designs and attempts to initiate FCC and MIL-STD testing for compliance verification. I believe the team will make improvements in the design and increase the manufacturability of the two systems within the Phase II effort, though I am rather surprised by the lack of listed quantitative metrics and specific test standards to be used for testing. This indicates that team may not fully know what is required, or perhaps simply has not taken the time to specifically identify the application requirements in such a way that they can be used properly to create milestones for each task. Without milestones, the project plan suffers from a lack of indicators for when the task is successfully completed. A final reservation is that the complete matching for the project is coming from NRL through personnel support. This creates a potential challenge in documenting Rating Summary R040-B Page 8 and verifying compliance of cost share since it did not seem NRL personnel will be involved to such a level in the project tasks. Overall, the team made progress in the Phase I effort and has demonstrated it is capable of carrying out the proposed work. I anticipate similar accomplishment and success will be realized in the Phase II effort, but there is no clear end project deliverable that indicates a complete redesigned/improved system will be demonstrated with specific quantitative metrics. I suggest that should this project be selected for funding, the team first be asked to provide a table (such as that on pg. 9 of the proposal) indicating the current and target goals of the Phase II effort for the PSG1 and PSG-C1000 systems, making the end project deliverables very clear. Such a table should be based on the application requirements (cost, weight, efficiency, specific MIL-STD test compliances, etc.).

Reviewer 3A The team plan to design and develop the Portable Solar product targeting improvement in Phase II based on the customers feedback in Phase I. The project object is clearly stated with a well defined workplan. Based on the field test proposed, it is better to include testing the stability of the Portable Solar product especially at the extremely conditions for military application. It would be also promising to propose more than one product in Phase II towards commercialization.

Page 12 of 16 Response - For Phase II our milestone would be: the completion of electronic board design and energy storage selection, the completion of system integration and test, the completion of FCC compliance test, and the completion of MIL-STD compliance tests. We have added the milestones in the timetable. Please see the expanded version of Phase II objectives section.

The MIL-STD compliance tests will subject the product into extreme conditions according to military standard. We are proposing PSG-1 and PSG-C1000 in phase II.

Phase II Objectives:

The following is an expanded version of the Phase II objectives presented in the proposal focusing primarily on addressing the reviewers’ comments.

OBJECTIVE 1: Refine PSG1 electronic design to simplify manufacturing and assembly process.

In Phase I we successfully designed and developed the electronic boards and custom enclosure that will work together with Nishati’s solar panel and perform efficiently in predefined form factor. Even though we have developed the electronic boards with ease of manufacturing and assembly in mind, during the assembly process we realized that more improvements can still be made to make the assembly process simpler, easier, and faster. During Phase II, we will advance our efficient and fast set-up PSG1 based on partner input and optimize the design for production. Improvements will be made in the design to further simplify the manufacturing and assembly process. Currently the electronic board designs are not fully optimized for large scale production. The assembly process involves a significant amount of manual work to get all the printed circuit boards (PCBs) to fit inside the enclosure with all the wirings and interconnects.

Task 1 – Refine the electronic board designs to reduce the amount of wiring and interconnect needed.

Task 2 – Assemble the electronics and perform laboratory tests for calibration and functionality verification.

OBJECTIVE 2: Refine PSG1 custom enclosure.

Nearing the completion of Phase I we also identified several improvements that can be made in the custom enclosure to make the assembly process easier and reduce overall costs as well as to better protect the electronics inside from the rigorous MIL-STD tests. We will refine the enclosure design to incorporate these improvements. Our custom electronic enclosure consists of two separate panels, front and back. The front panel is made of ultra high molecular weight (UHMW) polyethylene, and the back panel is from aluminum. The aluminum back panel not only will provide a way for thermal dissipation for the electronics but also will provide mechanical support to the overall system. Currently the custom electronic enclosure was fabricated by computer numerical control (CNC) machining for both the front and the back panels, for a relatively small quantity production (less than 1000) this would be a reasonable approach. The panels will be redesigned to reduce the production cost and to enhance product viability.

Task 1 – Refine overall enclosure design to make the assembly process easier and less expensive.

Task 2 – Add more protection features to better withstand the MIL-STD tests.

Page 13 of 16 Task 3 – Survey and evaluate plastic injection mold options for the front panel.

OBJECTIVE 3: Design modification of PSG-C1000 to make it lighter

Currently the PSG-C1000 module weights 30lbs and about 40% of the weight is contributed from the sealed lead acid (SLA) batteries inside the enclosure. The reason driving the selection of this type of battery is mainly due to cost consideration. SLA battery is significantly cheaper than comparable lithium based batteries, at the cost of more weight.

Task 1 – Survey and evaluate economical options for lighter energy storage that will work for PSG-C1000 with target weight reduction of at least 5 lbs. Cost and compatibility with overall system functionality will be the considerations.

Task 2 – Modify current PSG-C1000 electronic design to support the selected new energy storage.

OBJECTIVE 4: System integration and field test.

Upon the completion of objective 1, 2, and 3 above, Packet Digital will assemble the electronics into the custom enclosure, perform integration with Nishati’s DOD solar panel, and conduct field test. Improvements that were expected as the outcome of the design changes will be evaluated.

Task 1 – Electronic assembly into the custom enclosure and integration with solar panel.

Task 2 – Conduct field test, with factors to be evaluated including but not limited to: power output generation, battery charging operation, battery discharging operation, available solar power indicator, power usage indicator, power tracking operation, battery usage balancing operation, and battery charge balancing operation. Successful field test will be indicated by proper operation of all the above factors.

OBJECTIVE 5: FCC compliance testing.

At the successful completion of objective 4, Packet Digital will send one unit for radio frequency emissions compliance test, specifically the FCC part 15 testing, with an accredited FCC testing laboratory. Packet Digital has previous experience with FCC testing for its smart battery charger product and based on this experience a five week timeline is allocated for it. The estimated cost for this FCC compliance test is about $3,000.00

Task 1 – Identify FCC accredited testing laboratory to work with and proceed with the testing.

Task 2 – Contingency plan, in the unlikely event that FCC test fails, Packet Digital will perform design refinement and re-test.

OBJECTIVE 6: MIL-STD testing and certification.

Page 14 of 16 Packet Digital will build several identical systems to be used for MIL-STD testing, specifically shock and vibration (MIL-STD-810G method 514.6 and 516.6), temperature (MIL-STD-810G method 501.5 and 503.5), sand and dust (MIL-STD-810G method 510.5), humidity (MIL-STD-810G method 507.5), and rain (MIL-STD-810G method 506.5). Since there are several different test methods that will be done under the MIL-STD, we are planning to have the tests done in parallel in order to save time, a 10 week timeline is allocated for building and testing the system. The estimated cost for these MIL-STD compliance tests is about $70,000.00

Task 1 – Identify MIL-STD accredited testing laboratory to work with.

Task 2 – Build four identical systems and proceed with the testing.

Task 3 – Contingency plan, in the event that any of the MIL-STD tests fail, Packet Digital will perform the necessary design reinforcement and re-test.

OBJECTIVE 7: Looking into potential new design to support further hybridization with gasoline/diesel power generator.

Packet Digital will research the feasibility of designing a portable solar generator product to support further hybridization with conventional gasoline/diesel power generator. The idea is when the solar power is close to becoming unavailable such as during evening time, and the battery storage energy is low, then the system would automatically activate gasoline/diesel power generator to take over as the primary source of electrical power. And in the morning when the solar power is available, the system will deactivate the gasoline/diesel generator and portable solar generator will supply the electricity again.

Task 1 – Perform market survey to investigate the potential market demand for such a hybrid system.

Task 2 – Perform initial design architecture, capturing general functionalities of the hybrid system.

TIMETABLE

The following table shows the schedule for the technical aspects of this project.

Task Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Objective 1 Refine the electronic board designs. Assembly and tests. Objective 2 Refine overall enclosure design. Add more protection features. Evaluate plastic injection mold options. Objective 3 Find options for lighter energy storage. Modify design for lighter energy storage. Objective 4 Electronic assembly into enclosure and integration with solar panel. Conduct field test. Objective 5 Identify FCC testing laboratory to work with and proceed with the testing. Contingency plan if FCC test fails.

Page 15 of 16 Objective 6 Identify MIL-STD testing laboratory. Build four identical systems and send for MIL-STD testing. Contingency plan if MIL-STD tests fail Objective 7 Market survey for a hybrid system. Initial architecture of the hybrid system. Milestones Complete electronic board design and energy storage selection Complete system integration and test Complete FCC compliance test Complete MIL-STD compliance tests Interim/Final Reports

Packet Digital, Nishati, and NRL team to create a differentiating portable solar system: ● Energy density exceeds anything on the market with 36% more power in 42% less space.

● Reducing the deployed footprint and increasing the power capability increases the number of mission sets

● Fully integrated with quick set up time with 80% improvement on setup time

● Ability to withstand harsh environments

● Easily transported with compact and ruggedized case

● Tested for military specification and operating environments and transportation.

● Reduced cost and complexity compared to other military systems, enabling use in demanding commercial applications.

Nishati currently has a patent on its unique panel design. Nishati and Packet Digital will protect our competitive advantage through a combination of patents and trade secrets regarding the design and manufacturing of several different elements and aspects of the PV and integrated case/racking system.

This project will create a new product in North Dakota in solar technology creating jobs for North Dakota companies and increased manufacturing.

We propose portable solar with 36% more power in 42% less space and 80% less setup time

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