WASHINGTON — News from the gas pumps and oil fields remains grim.
Consumers face perpetually high gas prices as they hit the road and take to the skies for summer vacations. Unrest in the Middle East continues, prompting speculation that oil production has been disrupted. In response, the U.S. and fellow members of the International Energy Agency announced on June 23 that they would release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve into the market. By July 11, the Department of Energy expects all contract awards to be completed in the sale of U.S. oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. And the Department of Defense is the largest single consumer of energy in the U.S. (http://www.dailyenergyreport.com/2011/01/how-much-energy-does-the-u-s-military-consume/)
The Pentagon, which is required by Congress to obtain 25 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 (http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/pentagon-looks-at-green-options/story-e6frev0i-1225699572437), began trying to comply last year by setting targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 1/3 over the next decade. (http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/04/is-the-pentagon-going-green-or-eco-pretending/)
The Army in particular has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent. AOL News reported in October that the Navy wants to cut its petroleum consumption in half by 2015, and the Air Force aims to get half its fuel from domestic sources by 2016.
The military says it is making progress in meeting those goals. Some examples:
The Air Force – the largest renewable energy power purchaser in the U.S. and the third-largest in the world (http://www.aolnews.com/2010/10/14/is-the-pentagon-serious-about-going-green/) – hopes to use biofuel blends for half of the jet fuel it burns by 2016. (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4594470)
The Army is working on geothermal energy, on converting biomass to fuel and on improving energy efficiency. It plans to replace 4,000 gasoline-powered vehicles with electric vehicles by 2013. (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4594470)
The Navy is preparing to launch the “Great Green Fleet,” an aircraft carrier strike force fueled by nuclear power and alternative fuels, in 2016. (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=4594470)
At the annual Massachusetts Institute of Technology Energy Conference on March 5, 2011, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said he wants at least half of all energy used by the Navy and Marines to come from non-fossil sources by 2020 at the latest.
But the numbers suggest progress is much more gradual. According to the Department of the Defense’s 2010 Annual Energy Management Report, 3.6 percent of its electrical consumption came from renewable electricity sources (solar, wind, geothermal and biomass) in 2009, an increase from the 2008’s level of 2.9 percent. Among the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Air Force led the way, with only 5.8 percent of its electricity coming from renewable sources.
The Defense Department’s report states that almost 75 percent of the military’s energy consumption is from vehicles and aircraft. But according to AOL News, most of its energy-efficiency initiatives have targeted energy consumption in buildings.
Steve Milloy, a senior fellow with the Center for Security Policy, said the military’s efforts are currently more talk than action. “It costs taxpayers, it’s not making us safer, and none of it’s helping in any meaningful or significant way,” he said. He cited the Navy’s wind/diesel hybrid plant at Guantanamo Bay – touted in the Department of Defense’s study as the largest plant like it in the world. According to the Department’s website, since the four wind turbines were installed in 2005 they have provided between 5 and 12 percent of the base’s power. Milloy said that the small amount of electricity created is offset by the fact that the plant still requires diesel fuel, albeit less than before.
The Navy also operates two of the country’s largest federal photovoltaic systems at bases in California. Milloy thinks the energy output is not matching the cost of installing and maintaining the solar panels.
In May, the newly-established office of Operational Energy Plans and Programs issued a report to Congress about its new strategy to promote energy security through a diminished demand for fuel and increased use of alternative fuels. Within 90 days of publication of the strategy, the Department of Defense must release an implementation plan with specific targets and timelines for achieving its strategy. This may be the clearest indication of where the military stands in its transition to greener energy sources.
