Posts Tagged ‘energy security’

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’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 …

The top installation officials for the Army and Air Force are confident their services each will succeed in generating 1 gigawatt of renewable energy to power their installations by 2025. The Army believes it is a realistic target, one the service may achieve before the deadline, Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and environment, told reporters Tuesday during a visit to Joint Base San Antonio. The Army has a huge pipeline of candidate projects, she explained. The goal wasn’t “taken out of thin air …

San Diego-area Navy and Marine Corps installations are collaborating with local utilities and regulators to find new ways to conserve energy and increase reliability, partially through the use of smart grids. In March, the Navy and San Diego Gas and Electric took advantage of a security exercise to test the ability of San Diego installations to reduce electrical consumption during an electricity curtailment period. Initial findings from the Smart Power Partnership Initiative are expected this summer, and will be used to validate the concept and potentially export it to other large Navy and Marine Corps base areas …

On June 13, ADC will host a limited-attendance event for industry to provide feedback, review pending projects and highlight the contribution of the private sector and communities in helping DOD meet its energy requirements. The ADC Energy Partnerships Forum will be held in conjunction with the Joint Army & Air Force Renewable Energy Industry Day taking place the previous day. Both events will be held at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va. The ADC Forum will extend the dialogue started the previous day by bringing together key players from the private sector, DOD and communities …

The House Armed Services Committee wants the Defense Department to consider using direct solar devices such as daylighting systems and light pipe technology to help the military conserve energy and increase its energy security, according to an amendment to the report accompanying the House version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill. Direct solar devices convert sunlight into useable light within a building or other enclosed structure without converting the sunlight into another form of energy …

DOD is using its inventory of 300,000 buildings as a testbed for next-generation technology that can help the military reduce its energy consumption, expand the use of renewable sources and bolster energy security at its installations, the Pentagon’s installations chief told military, federal and industry experts Tuesday at the Military Smart Grids and Microgrids Conference in Arlington, Va. The department is focusing on developing the technology for smart grids and microgrids to produce the biggest breakthroughs, said Dorothy Robyn …