He doesn't lead a huge social or political movement. Instead he looks at such things as fuel cells, hybrid vehicles, multi-task generators and ways to use photovoltaic technology.

Mead heads the Advanced Power Technology Office at Robins Air Force Base, the Air Force focal point for seeking out practical applications for new energy technologies for use on military equipment.

He says the office has three goals: increase support for the warfighter, support the Air Force's environmental program and cut dependence on foreign energy sources.

"We're trying to integrate advanced power technologies into support equipment and vehicles," he said, "and replace or limit use of diesel and gasoline fuels."

Mead and members of his small staff must be part researcher, marketeer and visionary. Air Force-wide, the APTO group has 18 fuel-cell projects, seven hydrogen generation units, 17 advanced battery demonstrations, 16 distributive generators, three solar applications and 18 electric-drive devices.

APTO acts as a bridge for companies - many of them small businesses - that needd practical applications for their ideas. Several of those technology demonstrations are occurring at Robins: hybrid-engined vehicles, hydrogen powered units and - in the near future - a bank of fuel cells to provide backup power for the base's water treatment plant. But many are spread out across the Air Force.

"We brainstorm and identify areas such as photovoltaics," said Bill Likos, a mechanical engineer. "We may find that a certain technology is almost there but it needs higher efficiency. So we put the topic on our Web site, companies respond and we select proposals."

Funding comes from two sources: Congressionally designated dollars and Small Business Innovation Research money. Those sources are providing about $12 million this year.

The support focus is the unit in the field, deployed to an isolated location and living in bare-base, tent-city conditions. The goal is to enhance the overall operation and quality of life while reducing the size, weight and number of items that much be airlifted to the warzone.

APTO already has or can anticipate:

• A fuel-cell-powered vehicle that can tow and power aircraft then plug into a tent city's overall power grid to provide additional electricity.

• Tents with photovoltaic panels that produce electricity during the day along with hydrogen for power production at night.

• Units that can produce or reform hydrogen directly from JP8 jet fuel.

• Fuel-cell-powered Humvees and Strykers that would permit silent-running reconnaissance in a combat zone.

• Hydrogen fuel cells to replace heavy battery packs carried by special operations troops.

• A modular hydrogen refueling station that can be airlifted to a bare base, forward location.

• Fuel cell applications for 18-wheel trucks that will operate lights and air conditioning with the diesel engine turned off.

Senior project engineer Roy Case is particularly familiar with the photovoltaic effort. Photovoltaic devices directly convert sunlight into electricity. APTO is sponsoring a tent-city demonstration at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla.

"They're up to about a 16-percent efficiency rate, which is pretty good," Case said. "Most cars, for example, only produce about 15-percent efficiency. They're even looking at putting the tents on a rotating base to get the best benefit from the sun. The panels are built into the tent fabric and they're making sure they will fold back up and go into the crate they were designed to deploy in."

The next step is to make sure the tents can survive in a hostile environment, particularly a desert climate.

"We'll take them to New Mexico and see what blowing sand will do over a period of time," he said. "Of course at Tyndall they're only about 500 feet from the ocean, so they're probably getting beat up pretty good right now."

Several factors will determine how much progress APTO can make during the next five to 10 years: research funding, development of U.S. infrastructure to broadly distribute such commodities as hydrogen, the future cost and availability of fossil fuels, and certain mindset changes that could lead to greater demand for alternative fuels.

Mead says today's high price of gasoline is having an effect.

"Support is getting stronger for alternative fuels like hydrogen," he said. "You can see that in the automotive world. But we're not to a point where we can beat the price of gas. We're getting there, but we're not there yet."

He said it's a "chicken and egg" situation in which the support infrastructure is just as important as the technology application.

"If you had 10 fuel-cell vehicles in Georgia today they'd be sitting in a garage because we couldn't fuel them," Mead said.

Likos believes 2010 is an optimistic date for broader fuel-cell application in the U.S.

"A lot of barriers have to be overcome," he said. "The Defense Department figures it will be more like 2015. The cost of fuel cells remain high and driving down that cost is important to widespread consumer use."

APTO will continue being a promoter of usable technologies, according to Mead - helping to spark application of new innovations with one clear purpose in mind.

"If you rack up everything we're doing in this office," he said, "our goal is to provide capability for the warfighter. That's our major footstomper."