Renewable energy: U.S. military gets greener... and greener

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When Congress told the Department of Defense in 2007 to get a quarter of its energy from renewables, most observers probably wouldn't have expected the military's gung ho reaction. We've reported on  military initiatives before, such as its microgrid pilots and demonstration projects to help achieve energy security and independence. But it looks like the more the military got into it, the more the top brass got excited about going green. "Renewable sources make us less vulnerable. Our goal is to take advantage of all available resources," according to Joe Sikes, DoD Facilities Energy director who was quoted in a Renewable Energy World article. The military has focused on greenhouse gas emissions, waste management and energy efficiency in a big way, and has readily become the government's test bed for renewable technologies.  It's evaluating mobile solar and wind generators to replace fuel trucks in combat zones, has projects in various stages of development for hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy — and the Air Force is developing the biggest biomass plants in the country, one at Florida's Eglin Air Force Base and another at Georgia's Robins Air Force Base.

Quick Take: We realize there are critics who say the military shouldn't get so involved in something it's not known for being terribly good at. But it appears to be doing just fine in its new role as a renewable energy leader.

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