The high Mojave Desert may not be the first place you’d look for signs of an American green revolution. However, the desert army base there is symbolic of what could become a national trend.
There you will find soldiers in plywood cubicles working on computers powered by solar panels; plug-in cars shuttling troops across the vast expanses; and tents lined with insulating foam that provide a cool retreat during the red hot days.
The desert base acts as a house for the Army’s premier training centre for troops that will be deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. It has also become a testing ground for a number of green initiatives that could save the services millions – not to mention lives too, given the frequency with which fuel convoys are targeted.
Currently the Department of Defence is the largest energy consumer in the United States – last year alone it bought around four billion gallons of jet fuel, 220million gallons of diesel and even 73million gallons of petroleum. The Iraq and Afghanistan wars are consuming more fuel than any other wars in US history and so it’s understandable that officials are now reducing their consumption and embracing energy alternatives.
According to estimates, the $22million investment to replace all the rented tents in the Fort Irwin base with insulated, semi-permanent ones will pay for itself in nine months and save the Army $100million over five years. Indeed by reducing generator use, the camp can cut carbon emissions by 35million pounds a year- the equivalent of removing 3,500 vehicles from the road.
The Defence Department now derives 9.8 per cent of its power from alternative sources and is looking to expand this number. Research is also under way on how the Army can improve fuel efficiency and find alternative ways to power its biggest fuel guzzlers such as tanks, aircrafts and ships.
It is possible that some military initiatives may even be used to generate green energy for civilian use going forward with the Army inviting bids from the private sector to build a 500megawatt solar project – the base needs around 40megawatts and so the rest could be used to spin off electricity to the grid. This could yet assist California towards its target of acquiring 33 per cent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.
