Two Megawatt Solar Array At Fort Carson, Photo Credit: US Army
Secretary of the Army, John M. McHUGH, announced that a new Energy Initiatives Office (EIO) will serve as the "central managing office for the development of large-scale Army renewable energy projects."
A Department of Defense Press Release reports Army to Establish Energy Initiatives Office Task Force for Large-Scale Renewable Energy Projects
The EIO Task Force will be fully operational by Sept. 15, 2011. The new EIO Task Force is integral to the Army addressing rising energy security challenges, escalating fuel prices, and stricter federal mandates.
“The Energy Initiatives Office Task Force will help the Army build resilience through renewable energy while streamlining our business practices so developers can invest in and build an economically viable, large-scale renewable energy infrastructure,” said McHugh, “To meet a goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025, the Army must use every opportunity to be energy efficient and draw power from alternative and/or renewable energy sources.”
The scale of renewable energy production the Army needs in order to provide enhanced energy security is estimated to require investment up to $7.1billion over the next 10 years. This level of investment is expected to generate 2.1 million megawatt hours of power annually for the Army.
While I've been critical of excess total Defense Budgets, one thing I do admire about the military is that when they decide to do something, they do it forthrightly, with diligence, and alacrity.
Solar panels power street lights in Fallujah, Iraq. Credit: U.S Army.
Al Brendenberg,, of Thomas Net asks How Will U.S. Army Energy Initiatives Affect Expansion of Solar Energy?
The Army is already constructing a 500-MW solar power plant the size of Manhattan at its Fort Irwin base in California. An outreach officer for the EIO says the Army has “the land and the demand” for large solar projects.
According to the Army Energy Program, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (APAct 2005) requires certain minimum contributions of renewable energy to any given installation’s electricity consumption of 5 percent through 2012, then 7.5 percent beginning in fiscal year 2013. Beyond that, the DoD has set its own voluntary goal of 25 percent by 2025.
Addressing energy security and sustainability is operationally necessary, financially prudent, and essential to mission accomplishment. The goal is to manage our installations not only on a net zero energy basis, but net zero water and waste as well. We are creating a culture that recognizes the value of sustainability measured not just in terms of financial benefits, but benefits to maintaining mission capability, quality of life, relationships with local communities, and the preservation of options for the Army’s future.
The Army’s operational energy logistical tail is a handicap. In fiscal year 2010 the Army’s fuel costs topped $2.7 billion, 70 percent of which was for theater operations. In Afghanistan, the military is enduring one casualty for every 24 ground resupply convoys. Between 70 to 80 percent of the resupply weight for those logistical convoys is composed of fuel and water.
Photo: Portable solar system designed for soldiers. Credit: U.S. Army.
In a diary from June 10, 2011, I reported on how this roll up solar backpack PVs are saving lives in the field, and replacing up to 45 pounds of batteries in backpacks. Marines Carry Flexible Solar Collectors Into Battlefield In Backpacks to Replace Heavy Batteries <
Portable solar system deployed in Afghanistan
This Department of Energy plot of solar PV penetration predicts 17 gigawatts intalled capacity by 2020 in US.
Millitary purchases of new technology when they are still in their early, and expensive phase, often provides a "priming the pump" effect, helping innovators lower the cost of commercial application sufficiently to accelerate market penetration.
The learning curve percentage describes the historical percentage of reduction in manufacturing cost, for each doubling of the installed base. For integrated circuit chips it is 20%. We now have enough data to establish the number for the solar PV markets is 18%.
With such large purchases by the Department of Defense driving down costs, many new applications of solar energy from photo-voltaics should be on the commercial horizons soon. Here is an example of a new solar bikini for recharging your Ipod, designed by a student who started out designing solar power beer coolers for the beach.
Another, advantage of this program is when these soldiers return to the American workforce they will be bringing skills in these new solar technologies that can apply immediately, as well as a new attitude that solar energy is a robust, battlefield tested, idea ready to happen.
Converting our economy's energy base to solar and other renewables represents an enormous potential stimulus and jobs program, that would also yield many other benefits, such as reducing oil imports, trade deficits, national security risks, and our global carbon footprint.
We need to shout this out to our Congresspeople and get Keynesian on their asses. We can no longer afford to stupidly fritter away our national assets to foreign oil producers, and make our industries suffer from the high costs, and toxic emissions of fossil fuels.
PS: Please check out other recent articles I written on Solar Energy:
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