Posts Tagged ‘energy’

The Bureau of Land Management is insisting it should be a partner in any deals the military makes with the private sector to generate renewable energy on land BLM manages. The dispute already has slowed a deal the Air Force is negotiating with Fotowatio Renewable Ventures to lease 3,228 acres at Edwards AFB, Calif., for a 450-megawatt solar project, reports Federal Times. An Army plan to lease more than 13,000 acres at Fort Irwin, Calif., to the Clark Energy Group for a 500-megawatt solar project also will require BLM approval …

The Pentagon would be required to issue guidance on the use of available approaches to finance renewable energy projects and the processes used to select the approach for a particular project, under the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill approved last month by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The bill text and committee report were not released until this week. “The guidance should describe the requirements and restrictions applicable to the underlying authorities and any Department of Defense-specific guidelines for using appropriated funds and alternative financing approaches for renewable energy projects …

In a newly released report focusing on DOD’s operational energy initiatives, the Congressional Research Service includes an interesting discussion of the distinction between operational and installation energy. Operational energy is defined by statute as “the energy required for training, moving and sustaining military forces and weapons platforms for military operations. The term includes energy used by tactical power systems and generators and weapons platforms …

The Senate Armed Services Committee asks DOD to study whether energy savings performance contracts can be used more broadly, including to construct power generating plants, according to the committee report accompanying the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill it approved last month. The panel also is interested in whether the contracts can be used to acquire mobile energy sources, including electric and natural gas-powered vehicles and charging stations on installations …

The Marine Corps broke ground last month on two solar power plants at Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., the Corps’ first use of new rules allowing DOD to enter into long-term power purchase agreements. The 20-year PPA will guarantee electricity for the base up to 50 percent below the average rate for standard 10-year federal government PPAs. The two projects, under construction by SunDurance Energy of Edison, N.J., will generate approximately 2.7 million kilowatt hours annually using 4,452 solar panels …

After delivering remarks intended to dissuade Congress from making changes to the Defense Department’s fiscal 2013 budget request that could result in a “hollowing” of the armed forces, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on Wednesday offered a robust defense of the Pentagon’s push to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. In response to a reporter’s question that followed his speech at the American Enterprise Institute, Carter indicated that the department opposes language in the House and Senate versions of the defense authorization bill barring it from purchasing biofuels …

The Pentagon is considering marking off a vast zone in California’s Mojave Desert and surrounding areas that would be off limits to the development of wind energy projects. The military has delineated an “adverse impact zone” but a final decision is not expected until this summer, reported the Press-Enterprise. Limiting wind development in such a large area would deliver a significant blow to developers of wind energy in California …

The Pentagon’s push to power aircraft and ships with alternative fuels in an effort to reduce its reliance on foreign oil would be slowed under the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill approved last week by the Senate Armed Services Committee. The panel passed one amendment barring the military from purchasing alternative fuels if the cost would exceed that of petroleum-based fuels. A second amendment prohibits construction by DOD of a biofuels refinery or any other facility to refine biofuels. Both motions passed by 13-12 votes …

The Defense Department should consider the use of “cybersecure” microgrid technologies to promote energy security, according to the report from the Senate Appropriations Committee accompanying the fiscal 2013 military construction and veterans affairs spending bill. The committee said it is “impressed” with the progress DOD has made in deploying microgrids to promote energy independence and protect mission critical assets through the Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) program …

Sens. John McCain and James Inhofe, the two most senior Republicans on the Senate Armed Services Committee, were planning to introduce several amendments to the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill to trim spending on alternative energy programs, according to multiple news reports. “Adopting a ‘green agenda’ for national security of course is a terrible misplacement of priorities,” McCain told the National Journal Daily on Tuesday. The administration’s effort to reduce its use of fossil fuels is “a clear indication that the president doesn’t understand national security …