Gunning For The Sun

GUNNING FOR THE SUN Would it surprise you to learn that the U.S. military is one of the single largest generators of renewable power in the world? For them it doesn't have a thing to do with being green or WHY THE MILITARY IS IN LOVE WITH SOLAR ENERGY saving Mother Earth. WHY IS UNCLE SAM GOING SOLAR? IT CAN SAVE BIG MONEY THE U.S. MILITARY IS BY FAR THE SINGLE LARGEST BUYER OF OIL IN THE WORLD. NEW PRIORITIES 400,000 BARRELS Estimated amount of oil the military uses per day in peacetime. "THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE HAS THREE GOALS.CREATE AND PRESERVE JOBS, PROVIDE BETTER CARE AND IMPROVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY. 800,000 BARRELS Estimated amount they used per day at during the height of the Irag War. $20 BILLION Estimated U.S. military spending on fuel per year. $83,000 SANDRA RICHARDSON U.S. Dept. of Defense Deputy Under Secretary (Resource Issues) Amount Nevada's Nellis Air Force Base is saving per month after going solar. → 25% POWER (BUILDINGS, EQUIPMENT AND HEAT GENERATION) THIS IS WHERE SOLAR IS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE HOW DOES THE MILITARY USE ITS FUEL? → 75% TRANSPORTATION (AIRCRAFT, SHIPS AND VEHICLES) WITH THE WORLD PRICE OF OIL AT $80 A BARREL, KEEPING JUST ONE US SOLDIER IN AFGHANISTAN COSTS HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS A DAY IN FUEL ALONE. 2 IT WILL IMPROVE NATIONAL SECURITY DANGERS POSED BY AN UNRELIABLE POWER GRID "CHANGING THE WAY WE USE AND PRODUCE ENERGY, AND THE FALLOUT FROM CLIMATE CHANGE, ARE FUNDAMENTALLY ISSUES OF Bringing off-grid power to not only the military but the rest of the developed world will help national security by alleviating extended outages and potential hacker attacks. LIGHTS OUT NATIONAL SECURITY." ".military installations are almost completely dependent on a fragile and vulnerable commercial grid, placing critical military and homeland defense missions at unacceptable risk of extended outage." - 2008 Report by the Defense Science Board. RAY MABUS Secretary of the Navy FRAGMENTATION The current national grid isn't connected seamlessly throughout the whole country; it's split up into three regions. Split transmission lines is like a highway where the road ends unexpectedly, preventing you from driving from Sacramento to New York. According to the Electric Power Research Institute, on any given day, 500,000 Americans experience an outage. POSSIBLE CYBERATTACKS In 2009, it was reported that federal authorities detected signs that hackers, likely from foreign military known for pursuing cyberwarfare, had penetrated the computer systems that control the power grid. 3 FEDERAL MANDATES The federal government requires that U.S. forces cut energy use by over 30% by 2015 in order to cover a quarter of their clean power from solar and other sources by 2025. 2025 25% CLEAN POWER HOW IT'S BEING USED * ENHANCING TROOP MOBILITY AND STEALTH Modern warfare has seen military operations become much leaner and more strategic, so it's crucial now for soldiers to be highly mobile. The military is therefore looking hard for ways to cut back on the amount of stuff they have to bring out into the field including generators and battery packs. Also, opponents will often use the thermal signature of diesel generators to detect troops, so going solar is helping the military to stay more under the radar, literally TENTS UNIFORMS SOLAR-POWERED CHARGERS The Army is currently testing lightweight flexible solar panels that can be layered on top of tents for insulation. Using these panels, made from silicon thin film on plastic, can provide up to 1 kilowatt of energy. Technology firms such as Konarka Technologies are working to develop nanotechnology-based solar panels that transforms any kind of light into electrical energy. Best part? The flexible components can be directly woven into fabric. This is especially important for when soldiers are in the field abroad and need to operate their devices without a personal pack of batteries or heavy power generator. CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA BASES LEAD THE WAY FORT IRWIN, CALIFORNIA D Plans to install a 500-megawatt solar array at the base. The five-photovoltaic installation will cover a total area about the size of Manhattan, New York. EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA 2 Has a solar project that is expected to break ground within the next two to three years, as it sets out to build a crystalline photovoltaic solar system of up to 600 MW. NEVADA CALIFORNIA 4 CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA Completed construction of two integrated solar heated and PV systems training pools 3 that eliminated its annual consumption of natural gas for heating. The military base also renovated its barracks for optimal insulation with solar panels and integrated units. 1 2 3 NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, NEVADA Currently has 70,000 PV panels set up on 140 acres of land to follow the sun's movement. Sources: U.S. Department of Defense | Wired.com | Time.com | U.S. News and World Report | New York Times | Peak Oil News 1BOG.org