The Military's Conversion To Renewables Will Save Soldiers' Lives

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Guarding the fuel trucks that power America's armed forces overseas has turned into a deadly job. The military is realizing that saving money on gas isn't the most important reason to switch to clean fuel.

The Department of Defense burns more oil than any other single entity on Earth: as much as $18 billion worth a year, or 80% of the federal governments' energy tab. So when they decide to limit that oil in favor of renewables, it's going to create a massive and instantaneous market. And while the cost in dollars is driving some of the armed forces' well-publicized moves into clean energy, there is a more sober factor: The cost in lives.

A significant share of American casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have occurred guarding fuel convoys, and resupply missions threaten operations around the world. Sierra Magazine's extensive reporting reveals just how much defending fuel resupply lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost us in terms of lives: One out of every 24 fuel convoys in Afghanistan (and one out of 38 in Iraq) led to the death of a soldier in 2007. In 2007 alone, that adds up to hundreds dead given the 6,000 recorded fuel convoys. Between 2003 and 2010 more than 3,000 troops have been killed or wounded while moving fuel, states Lt Col Melinda F. Morgan of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Energy efficiency, or renewables, had traditionally been low on the list of the military's priorities. But the lives and lucre lost add up quickly: Humvees guzzle as much as four miles per gallon of gasoline, which can cost between $25 to $400 per gallon to deliver in the field. Clean power, argue those looking at the math, makes the military stronger.

In response, the Pentagon has unveiled its comprehensive "Operational Energy Strategy" that will perhaps turn the U.S. military into the most energy-efficient fighting forces in the world--not to save the planet, but to save money and the lives of American soldiers. The military's emergence as one of the most advanced pioneers of solutions to energy and environmental problems is not out of altruism, but a clear recognition that the battlefield belongs to those able to operate efficiently without dependence on fossil fuels.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-militarys-conversion-to-renewab-2011-10

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Humvees guzzle as much as four miles per gallon of gasoline, which can cost between $25 to $400 per gallon to deliver in the field.

humvees don't use gasoline.

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Energy is the lifeblood of the U.S. military and its biggest security risk. The Department of Defense is the single largest consumer of energy in the world, surpassing consumption totals of more than 100 nations. But its reliance on traditional energy sources forces it to use foreign oil and gas, which costs money and raises all kind of strategic and logistical questions. So it makes sense that finding alternative energy sources as well as improving efficiency would be a top priority for the department. And that’s good news for the cleantech industry. Very good news.

Annual spending on renewable energy by the DOD will reach $10 billion by 2030, according to a report released Thursday from Pike Research. A significant portion of this will be spent on facilities operations including permanent bases. But the majority will go toward mobility applications including portable soldier power as well as land, air and sea vehicles.

Pike Research estimates the DOD spends about $20 billion a year on energy — 75 percent for fuel and 25 percent to power facilities and infrastructure. Key sectors of investment over the next two decades will be solar power for permanent bases and temporary facilities; fuel cells for individual soldier power; microgrids for military facilities; and biofuels for military vehicles.

The cleantech research firm forecast the DOD will spend $3 billion on renewable energy by 2015, $5 billion by 2025 and $10 billion by 2030. The forecast is based on the assumption that the DOD targets in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 will be achieved, the report said. In comparison, the total annual expenditure by China on renewable energy for military applications is expected to reach $4.5 billion by 2030.

Renewable energy projects currently underway:

• $2 billion 500 megawatt solar power installation on military reserves at the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, Calif.
• The Navy’s Great Green Fleet initiative aims to create a biofuels-driven fleet by 2016. The Navy commissioned the USS Makin Island, its first green ship, in October 2009 to be powered by a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The Navy expects to save more than $250 million in fuel costs over the life of the vessel. Its biggest challenge is available biofuels.
• The Air Force, which uses 2.4 billion gallon of fuel a year, has a goal to operate half of its fleet on biofuels by 2016. Honeywell subsidiary UOP is producing up to 190,000 gallon of fuel for the Navy and 400,000 gallons for the Air Force from non-food feedstocks including animal fat, algae and camelina.
• DARPA is researching on multiple renewable energy fronts including jet fuel derived from algae, nano-batteries, wave energy, olar and wind technology, and fuel cells from microbes.

http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/intelligent-energy/cleantech-savior-us-military-to-spend-10b-annually-by-2030/9593

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