14 DAY TRIAL // A new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts documents how the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is accelerating clean energy innovations in order to reduce risks to America's military, enhance energy security and save money.
The report finds that DoD clean energy investments increased 300 percent between 2006 and 2009, from $400 million to $1.2 billion, and are projected to surpass $10 billion annually by 2030. The military has thus set an ambitious overall target of obtaining 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025.
There are three key areas in which the DoD will act: vehicle technologies, advanced biofuels and energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
For example, DoD investments to harness clean energy technologies for air, land and sea vehicles is projected to grow to $2.25 billion annually by 2015.
A hybrid electric drive system will be tested on the USS Truxtun, a guided-missile destroyer, and is expected to save 8,500 barrels of fuel annually.
Also, the Air Force intends to use biofuels for 50 percent of its domestic aviation needs by 2016. The Navy plans to demonstrate a “Great Green Fleet” and, along with the Marines, plans to use alternative energy sources to meet 50 percent of its energy requirements across operational platforms by 2020.
Another initiative is the Army’s “net zero” program, which aims to have each of six installations produce as much as they consume in energy, water or waste by 2020.
Also, two other installations, Fort Bliss in Texas and Fort Carson in Colorado, will become net zero in all three areas.
The Pew report also reads that renewable energy spending by the department is projected to reach $3 billion by 2015 and $10 billion by 2030.
The military’s implementation of smart microgrids will grow by 375 percent, to $1.6 billion annually, in 2020. Market analysts indicate that the DoD will account for almost 15 percent of the microgrid market in 2013.