Troops in the field are dependent on batteries to power everything from their radios to their laptops. But eventually, of course, these batteries run out of power.

John Wilkes, a chemistry professor at the academy, says hydrogen could be the answer to creating batteries with better endurance.

“There are some niches where hydrogen is clearly superior to any other fuel, and that’s for what we call personal electric power,” Wilkes said. “The principle project comes down to hydrogen storage.”

Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines need to carry power sources that can generate between 15 and 150 watts of power, Wilkes said. To meet that need, they now carry lithium sodium dioxide batteries.

So far, a handful of Wilkes’ hydrogen batteries have been given to the Army for testing, but it could be several years before a product can be widely distributed to troops, Wilkes said.

Hydrogen fuel cells have been a topic of debate in the past few years as the price of gasoline has risen and concerns of global warming have grown. Hydrogen is seen by some as a replacement for petroleum because it is considered cleaner than oil-based energy. When hydrogen burns, it creates water as a byproduct.

But getting hydrogen to burn can require chemicals such as methane gas, which is carbon-based and would still produce greenhouse gas emissions.

Wilkes said the research for the hydrogen batteries started out about 10 years ago as a secret program for the special operations community. Two cadets are assisting Wilkes with the research.