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| Fig. 1: Solar panels at Fort Hood in Texas. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
Between 2011 and 2015, the military doubled renewable energy generation; meanwhile, the military also nearly tripled the number of renewable energy projects in progress to 1,390 in the same time frame. [1] These substantial increases in alternative energy reliance indicate an increasing shift by the United States military towards renewable energy sources, particularly solar and wind energy solutions, in hopes of avoiding battlefield inefficiencies and national security threats.
Beginning in 2007, the United States began pushing heavily for increased alternative energy use. The rationale for this push is many-fold. First, energy prices are exceptionally volatile--more so than 95% of other commodities. [2] This volatility poses significant budget risks to fuel-hungry organizations like the military. Moreover, renewable energy can make for safer combat zones by reducing the need for fuel convoys traveling to military bases, among many other instances. [1] Further, decreased fuel use leads to lower refueling stops and lower risk of attack for battleships by limiting the frequency of fuel stops. [1] Among other issues is the vulnerability of traditional energy infrastructure to cyber attacks. Thus far, this has led to a roughly 20% decrease in military oil use between 2007 and 2015. [1] The United States military now relies upon renewable power to generate roughly 10,534 billion British thermal units, which is equivalent to roughly 11,114 trillion joules of energy. [1]
Among the solutions to energy infrastructure vulnerability is an increased reliance upon solar- and wind-powered microgrids that are more insulated from cyber attacks. Currently, Southern Company has 11 solar projects on bases in various states and produces 310 megawatts of energy. [1] Sunpower, meanwhile, is under contract for a contract through 2043 to provide solar energy at Vandenberg Air Force Base. [1] Significant steps have been taken in other military bases, including Fort Hood, the largest military base on American soil. Fort Hood now employs renewable energy for nearly half of its power needs. [3] It relies on solar panels (shown in Fig. 1) and wind turbines to produce roughly 65 megawatts of power and is expected to save roughly $100 million over 30 years. [3] Solar energy sources can also be employed at bases in the battlefield, allowing soldiers to use fewer generators and draw less attention to themselves.
As a result of the increased use of alternative energy sources, the United States military has been able to increase safety and efficiency, saving lives and avoiding budget risk in the process. As a result, there was a roughly 20% decrease in military oil use between 2007 and 2015, with most experts predicting an increased reliance upon alternative energy, both in the battlefield and at home. [1] As stated by the head of the Marines expeditionary energy office, Col. Brian Magnuson, "these technologies are a way to become more effective in combat ... this is about war-fighting capability." [1]
© Carlos Ezquerro. The author warrants that the work is the author's own and that Stanford University provided no input other than typesetting and referencing guidelines. The author grants permission to copy, distribute and display this work in unaltered form, with attribution to the author, for noncommercial purposes only. All other rights, including commercial rights, are reserved to the author.
[1] T. Gardner, "U.S. Military Marches Forward on Green Energy, Despite Trump," Reuters, 28 Feb 17.
[2] C. Ezquerro, "Solutions to Oil Price Volatility," Physics 240, Stanford University, Fall 2018.
[3] S. Malo, "U.S. Army Base Goes Green With Renewable Energy Project," Reuters, 5 Jun 17.
