Dual-Purpose Solar Shade Structure

Challenge

The U.S. Army required a deployable shade structure that would reduce solar exposure, thereby decreasing the air-conditioning load on existing tent systems while simultaneously generating usable electrical power.

Approach

We combined tensile structural design with integrated thin-film solar modules to create a deployable canopy system.

The solution includes:

• Tensioned shade structure.

• Lightweight thin-film solar array.

• Integrated wiring harness.

• Battery and power electronics package delivering AC output.

Materials were selected and tested for long-term durability in field conditions.

Solution

PowerShade delivers shade coverage and over 5kW of integrated solar generation in a single deployable structure.

The system supports applications ranging from command and control centers to disaster response deployments.