New Use Energy Receives Contract Award from the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to Develop Battle-Ready Portable Power Nodes

Veteran-led portable power company brings more than four years of frontline field experience to a program intended to field cost-effective, stealthy power for the U.S. Army

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Use Energy Solutions, Inc. (NUE), a veteran-led portable power company, today announced an agreement with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), the U.S. Department of War organization that accelerates the military's adoption of commercial technology. Under the program, NUE will develop rugged, cost-conscious portable energy nodes for U.S. Army soldiers operating in remote and contested environments.

NUE is uniquely positioned among U.S. companies, drawing on more than four years of continuous field experience supporting military operations in Ukraine. It powered some of the earliest drone teams in 2022 and has since supported more than 100 frontline units. That experience shapes its DIU approach: the most capable node that makes sense on cost, built for how modern units operate.

“NUE isn't a traditional company in this space, and that's exactly why DIU is the right partner for us,” said Paul Shmotolokha, CEO of NUE. “We understand today's battlefield in a way few U.S. companies in our space do. Our troops need to stay hidden, both visually and thermally, operate more dispersed, and power hundreds more devices in austere locations. That's why we're pairing power with low-signature thermal management technology developed in Ukraine.”

NUE argues that legacy power is increasingly a liability forward of the line. “A conventional generator is loud, hot, and easy to detect, and on a modern battlefield that makes it an easy target,” Shmotolokha said. “Soldiers need power they can carry forward, run quietly, charge quickly, and keep out of sight.”

Under the agreement, NUE will use proven, soldier-friendly form factors that are highly mobile, quick to deploy, quiet, and hard to detect. Because power at the tactical edge is inherently attritable, the program favors solutions produced affordably and at scale, in line with DIU's emphasis on cost-effective, commercially derived capability.

The effort is also expected to strengthen a domestic supply base in a category where U.S. production has largely moved overseas. “This program could create real jobs and support American component manufacturers in areas we've all but ceded,” Shmotolokha said. “As a veteran and former U.S. Army officer, I wish we'd had an organization like DIU when I served. We look forward to delivering great new American products at a great price for taxpayers.”

About New Use Energy Solutions, Inc.

New Use Energy Solutions, Inc. (NUE) is a veteran-led company that designs ruggedized, portable power systems for military, tactical, and expeditionary use, including its SunCase™ line of field-proven power stations and its low-signature thermal and solar technologies. Built on real-world field experience, NUE engineers power solutions for soldiers operating in dispersed, remote, and contested environments. NUE is based in Phoenix, Arizona. Learn more at www.newuseenergy.com.