Alternative and Renewable Energy - Advanced Materials ...

Spiral 2: 3/28/2011Department of Defense Energy HandbookAlternative and Renewable Energy Options for DoD Facilities and Bases3 INTRODUCTIONThe military’s reliance on fossil fuels and the existing power grid results in significant risks on a tacticaland strategic level. Health and environmental concerns with fossil fuel energy also adds to the incentiveof implementing cleaner energy alternatives. Commercial renewable energy technologies are currentlyavailable, although their higher costs require research and development to decrease material andmanufacturing costs, as well as funding incentives to implement renewable projects which should alsolower their costs in the future. The Department of Defense owns, operates and maintains hundreds ofthousands of buildings and facilities, requiring several billion dollars per year on energy costs. The DoDhas recently introduced goals to implement renewable energy resources on its facilities and bases,considering both on-installation renewable energy projects and commercial renewable energy purchases.Strategies to purchase renewable energy are based on lifecycle cost analyses, benefits, and reliability. TheDoD to needs to transition installation energy management strategy to one directed on cost avoidance,security, new technology implementation, while also being stewards of the environment.In 2009, DoD spent more than $3.5 billion to power its facilities, which is almost a third of the DoD’stotal energy costs. Facilities energy accounts for approximately 40% of emissions due to theirdependence on commercially operated fossil fuel power plants. The percentage of facility energyconsumption and emissions are higher during periods of lower operational tempo as lower operationalenergy expenses are incurred along with reduced operational emissions. Many commercial powergenerating installations lack the ability to manage their demand for and supply of electricity, arevulnerable to cyber attacks and natural disasters, and overload of the grid. The US also has a highdependence on foreign energy resources resulting in less security for our country, while the moneyspent on foreign resources is hence not used for jobs and income for US citizens. Increasing renewablepower and energy will provide green energy to the DoD, while increasing the safety, security, andoverall well-being of US citizens.DoD goals in renewable energy are to produce or procure 25% by 2025. The plan is to procurerenewable energy projects where resources are abundant, and current energy prices are high to obtainthe fastest return-on-investment (ROI). This in turn may reduce future renewable energy costs andincrease fossil fuel costs, making renewable energy more attractive for additional locations.There is no doubt fossil fuels currently have lower costs than renewable energy resources. Fossil fuelelectricity generation is a very mature technology with established distribution of the fuels to thegenerating facilities (e.g., trucks, roadways, pipelines, trains, ships, etc.). However, as renewable energyresources mature, their costs are expected to decrease while fossil fuel costs increase. The averageelectricity cost in December, 2009 in the US, by state, is shown in Figure 1.5