Pentagon looks to cut oil use and costs
- From: "lkgeo1" <lkgeo1@xxxxxxx>
- Date: 25 Mar 2006 04:00:42 -0800
Pentagon looks to cut oil use and costs
By HEATHER FARRELL
WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- In an effort to reduce the U.S.
military's spending amid high fuel costs, the Pentagon is looking at
wind, solar, geothermal, biofuel, hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells as
new sources of energy.
The Defense Department uses more than four times as much energy as the
other government agencies combined, and accounts for almost all the
government's petroleum consumption, according to the Department of
Energy.
Security and environmental concerns associated with fossil fuels are
part of the reason the Pentagon is pushing energy efficiency and
renewable energy, said Dennis McGinn, a retired vice admiral for the
Navy and a senior fellow at Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass, Colo.
But the price of oil, hovering above $60 a barrel, has increased the
pressure to cut energy costs.
"That's a game-changer," McGinn said of high oil prices. Renewable
energies that used to be more expensive than fossil fuels are becoming
increasingly attractive.
"Because the DOD is such a large consumer of energy ... it creates a
demand on the market" and encourages companies to invest in renewable
energy research, McGinn said.
As the DOD becomes more energy efficient, renewable sources can better
meet the military's demand. And less demand means smaller environmental
footprints left by alternative sources such as solar and wind farms, he
said.
Movements in the military to use green energy in buildings began more
than 10 years ago as an investment, but there is a growing awareness
that moving to green or alternative energy makes sense economically and
environmentally, McGinn said.
For example, alternative energies such as wind farms and fuel cells cut
the costs of transporting large amounts of fuel to remote locations and
areas of conflict, he said.
The Navy has a goal of dedicating up to $170 million per year to energy
efficiency projects, according to Navy spokesman Lt. William Marks.
One way the Navy tries to increase the fuel efficiency of its ships is
using copper-containing coatings on hulls to decrease film buildup and
drag in the water. Other efforts to decrease consumption range from
designing more efficient ships and engines to automatic lights that
turn on when people enter a room, Marks said.
The Navy has also developed an incentives program for ship fuel
efficiency. Ships that save oil by burning less fuel can keep up to 40
percent of money saved for the vessel's needs, he said.
A Defense Department memo from November 2005 outlined energy management
goals for the military, which included reducing energy consumption in
facilities by 2 percent per year, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions
from facilities 30 percent by 2010.
The memo also called for producing or buying renewable energy "to help
alleviate the Department's reliance on fossil fuels." It set a goal of
using renewable energy for 25 percent of its electricity demand by
2025, provided doing so would be cost effective in the long term.
The Air Force has already gone beyond a 2013 target, using renewable
sources for 11 percent of its electricity, according to Air Force
spokeswoman Nicole VanNatter. The Air Force leads the nation in
purchasing renewable energy, she wrote in an e-mail.
The Air Force plans to increase use of E85 -- a motor fuel of 85
percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline -- by expanding service
stations and pumps that support alternative fuel vehicles, VanNatter
said.
About 80 percent of the Air Force's energy budget in 2005 went toward
the more than 2.1 billion gallons of aviation fuel used for aviation
operations. Because of this, the Air Force created a working group to
evaluate how aviation operations can be more energy efficient, she
said.
A December report on the Defense Department's energy management for
fiscal year 2005 put oil consumption by the department's facilities at
more than 169.7 million gallons per year, costing more than $207.79
million per year. The report expected a decrease in oil consumption for
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, but an increase in cost to more than $287
million in 2007.
A Defense Department renewable-energy report to Congress in March 2005
said: "The renewable energy industry continues to grow in capacity and
is steadily improving technologies to enhance performance, rendering it
increasingly cost-competitive. DOD can become the early market of
choice, benefiting from these trends."
The report evaluated the effectiveness of different sources of
renewable energy, and gave a timetable for expected payback benefits.
Geothermal power plants cost more than diesel generators, but are a
reliable power source that could give back five times the investment
costs over 20 years. Wind power plants would give back 1.5 times the
cost; a hybrid wind-solar plant would cover costs; and a solar plant
would not pay back within 20 years without government incentives,
according to the report.
Biomass could be a good resource in Southeast states because animal
waste is plentiful, according to the report.
Solar photovoltaic power is expensive, but could be cost effective in
states with incentives or mandates. The report said most locations
could implement daylighting, a way to save electricity by using windows
and skylights rather than electric lights in buildings during the day.
"The goal is to purchase renewable energy at or near the price of
conventional energy," the report said. "The primary focus is on using
DOD's purchasing power to encourage development of renewable
resources."
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