Posts Tagged ‘energy security’

As expected, the draft version of the fiscal 2013 defense authorization bill that the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee is scheduled to mark up today does not include the Pentagon’s request for BRAC rounds in 2013 and 2015. The annual policy bill’s failure to authorize one or more base closure rounds comes as no surprise, as Rep. Buck McKeon, chairman of the committee, and Rep. Randy Forbes, subcommittee chairman, have opposed the request since Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced it in January …

The Navy took advantage of a service-wide security exercise last month to test the ability of San Diego-area Navy and Marine Corps installations to reduce electrical consumption during a period when power was restricted. NAVFAC Southwest used an area wide energy management system and demand limiting load rolling software at 22 buildings located on Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Coronado and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar to centrally monitor and control the reduction of electrical consumption …

The Air Force, Army and Navy each will strive to produce 1 gigawatt of renewable energy to power their installations by 2025, the White House said Wednesday. The services will rely on private sector financing through authorities such as power purchase agreements, enhanced use leasing, energy savings performance contracts and utility energy savings contracts to develop the new sources of clean energy, including solar, wind, biomass and geothermal …

DOD’s campaign to conserve energy, increase its reliance on renewable sources and improve its energy security has the potential to generate “a real energy revolution” for facilities energy technologies, according to a new report. DOD’s Installation Energy Test Bed is funding about 50 demonstration projects led by the private sector, universities and government labs at military installations intended to identify emerging technologies that can cut the military’s facility energy demand and provide distributed energy generation …

One of the primary challenges to the Pentagon meeting its goals for conserving energy and increasing its reliance on renewable sources is streamlining the acquisition process, DOD’s top installations official told the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee last week. “Our acquisition process is extremely cumbersome; we need to improve that if we want to attract the best private firms …

In a House hearing Thursday largely focused on the merits of the Defense Department’s efforts to develop alternative fuels, the military’s campaign to acquire a greater share of its facility energy from renewable sources also came under fire. Randy Forbes, chairman of the House Armed Services’ Readiness Subcommittee, scheduled the hearing, “What is the Price of Energy Security: from Battlefields to Bases,” to review DOD’s energy priorities …

Fort Hunter Liggett, located in central California, is slated to host four solar systems, one of the primary ways the post is expected to achieve net zero status for energy. The first solar grid, consisting of 4,400 photovoltaic panels, is expected to be completed next month. The one-megawatt system is being built under an $8.4 million contract …

The Navy is aiming to produce at least 50 percent of its shore-based energy requirements from alternative sources by 2020, a target that is more than twice as aggressive as the overall one for DOD. The department-wide goal is for all branches to produce or procure 25 percent of their electricity for facilities from renewable resources by 2025 …

The Army is advancing on multiple fronts as it moves closer to realizing its goal of partnering with the private sector to develop large-scale renewable energy projects at its installations, senior officials said Thursday during a media briefing. Last month, the service released a draft request for proposal for a multi-award task order contract that will allow the Army to negotiate power purchase agreements with approved development teams for a total of $7 billion worth of electricity over 30 years …

DOD released an implementation plan for operational energy Friday, calling for energy conservation, relying on sources other than fossil fuels and incorporating energy security into all military planning. “As we continue to invest in the best military force to defend America today and tomorrow, I want the department to harness the best energy innovations at all levels, from the individual warfighter to the largest installation …