Posts Tagged ‘energy’

Without discounting the prospect that nuclear energy someday could become a feasible power source for military installations, the services’ installation chiefs said the technology is not yet ripe for renewable energy projects now under consideration. “We are not opposed, but the others are proven technologies,” Katherine Hammack, the Army’s assistant secretary for installations, energy and environment, said in response to a question during the ADC 2012 Annual Conference as to why the services were focusing only on wind, solar, geothermal and biomass as renewable energy sources …

A new agreement signed by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will ease the process for the military services to develop renewable energy projects on installation land previously managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The memorandum of understanding covers public lands set aside for military use — called “withdrawn lands” — and other onshore and offshore areas near military installations. The goal of the partnership is to harness the significant proven solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy resources on or near installations across the country …

Advanced microgrids offer a cost-effective solution to military installations’ growing vulnerability to the fragile electric grid, according to a study released last month by DOD’s office of installations and environment. The study, performed by MIT Lincoln Laboratory, illustrates the largely untapped potential of moving to smarter, next generation microgrids that can accommodate much greater use of renewable energy sources and tighter integration with the electrical grid. A microgrid that can operate when tied to the grid would offer new opportunities for the military to generate cost savings …

In its pursuit of creating a completely eco-friendly community, Fort Carson Family Housing — the partnership between Balfour Beatty Communities and the Army at Fort Carson, Colo. — has established a comprehensive sustainability initiative aimed at improving energy efficiency and conserving natural resources inside its homes and throughout each of its neighborhoods. FCFH’s sustainability program incorporates an array of practices, tools and products intended to reduce energy usage, preserve water resources and eliminate the generation of waste that exceed the Army’s environmental standards …

The military’s campaign to increasingly adopt renewable energy should survive Republican attempts to block the initiative, according to a poll of Washington experts. More than 70 percent of National Journal’s Energy & Environment Insiders said lawmakers’ effort to limit the use of biofuels would not survive the conference report for the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill, reported Government Executive. Both versions of the measure include provisions blocking DOD from purchasing alternative fuels if the cost would exceed that of petroleum-based fuels …

If the military services are going to reach their goal of obtaining 1 gigawatt each of renewable energy by 2025, they will need to overcome a variety of challenges, starting with the private sector’s concerns about dealing with the federal bureaucracy, reports National Defense magazine. The government’s protracted contracting process is one hindrance, Terry Yonkers, assistant secretary of the Air Force for installations, environment and logistics, said at a National Defense Industrial Association conference. “I think we are shooting ourselves in the foot. It is much too complex …

San Mateo, Calif.-based SolarCity and Lend Lease are collaborating to provide solar energy to more than 850 military residences at Air Force communities in California and Colorado Springs, the companies announced Tuesday. The partnership represents the second phase of SolarCity’s ambitious five-year, $1 billion plan to install solar systems on up to 120,000 units of privatized military housing …

Newton Square, Pa.-based Balfour Beatty Communities, a leading developer of privatized family housing for the military, will offer residents at Navy installations in the Southeast smart meter information and personalized conservation tools to help them conserve energy through a grant from the Department of Energy. The Smart Grid Data Access award from the Energy Department will fund a “Switch 4 Good” program that will test three strategies for conserving energy — baseline management by house type, digital outreach campaigns and personal energy-use coaching. The pilot study will take advantage of an effort to transfer responsibility for utility costs to families living on base at 11 Navy installations …

The Navy’s new energy policy makes energy security “a strategic imperative” for its installations, and codifies the service’s goals to dramatically reduce energy consumption while increasing its reliance on alternative sources. The “Shore Energy Management Instruction” announced Tuesday signifies a complete revision from the previous version published in 1994. The new policy calls for Navy installations to reduce their vulnerability to outages caused by natural disasters, accidents or attacks. Goals for shore installations include …

The Army is in talks with the Hawaii Electric Co. over the possibility of developing a 50-megawatt biofuels power plant at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The effort is being led by the Army Energy Initiatives Task Force, which the service created last year to pursue large-scale renewable energy projects. The Army would rely on the plant for backup power during an outage, with the utility distributing the rest of the energy generated by the plant. The Army and the utility anticipate reaching a partnership agreement in the fourth quarter of this year …