NEXT GENERATION DEPLOYABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS FOR MODERN MILITARY OPERATIONS
Solar Energy Powers Military Installations Don McBarnet, Technology Writer
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OLAR ENERGY is demonstrating its value to the US military and shows significant potential. American manufacturers have not been slow in powering up Department of Defense installations in the United States. Solar energy has been used successfully to reduce the energy use of military installations. Fort Stewart in Georgia is an example. Fort Stewart is on its way to becoming one of the largest producers of renewable solar energy within the state of Georgia, and is also slated to become the military installation producing the largest amount of renewable energy throughout the Department of Defense.8 How have they done this?
Fort Stewart in Georgia and Solar Energy Installations Earlier this year in May (2015), the U.S. Army and Georgia Power, in collaboration with the General Services Administration, the Georgia Public Service Commission, and the U.S. Army Office of Energy Initiatives broke ground on one-third of the Army-Georgia 3x30 project. (3 times 30 megawatts). Three separate solar generation arrays are being built by Georgia Power on Fort Stewart, Fort Benning, and Fort Gordon, which are the three major U.S. Army installations within the state. The solar farms are expected to be capable of producing roughly 30 megawatts of electricity each. Following their estimated time of completion around the end of 2016, the solar arrays are expected to be the largest of their kind on any Department of Defense installation.9 The Army is looking primarily to third-party financing to fund the initiatives and this could help the service rein in costs at a time when defense spending is facing intense scrutiny. “The Army is coming in at a time when prices are at historic lows. Solar power has become quite cheap, and in many states, solar companies are able to provide power at prices that are lower than the local utilities,” Swami Venkataraman, a utilities analyst at the rating company Standard & Poor’s said. “It’s possible the Army may be able to not only
encourage solar, but they may be able to save money comparable to their existing utility bills.”10
NATO Shares the United States’ Concern About Energy Insecurity While NATO is not an energy institution, energy developments affect the international security environment and, hence, touch on Allies’ security interests. For example, the American shale gas “revolution” and growing volumes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shipped worldwide may raise new maritime security concerns. Similarly, falling oil and gas prices could increase instability in many non-NATO energy suppliers that are highly dependent on energy exports, including Russia. Finally, energy factors are playing a major role in the current crisis in Ukraine, as supply disruptions would have far reaching security implications for some NATO Allies.11 But more than acknowledging strategic awareness, NATO is looking to generate reports from eight experts in a specially funded team from Allied and partner countries. This Smart Energy Team or SENT were tasked with screening national and NATO documents, and visiting defense agencies to identify practical energy efficient solutions and to provide recommendations for NATO’s standards and best practices. The final comprehensive SENT report has been presented to Allies in September 2015. One useful outcome was NATO’s use of Smart Energy solutions in the exercise Capable Logistician 2015 in Hungary, 8-19 June 2015, integrating the work of the Emerging Security Challenges Division (ESCD).12
Solar War Games in Hungary Defense contractors and others have worked with NATO to test the military’s ability to use renewable power in combat and humanitarian operations. About 1,000 NATO troops are spending 12 days deploying wind turbines, solar panels and self-contained power grids in Hungary. The soldiers are testing small solar power plants that open within 10 minutes, like WWW.DEFENCEINDUSTRYREPORTS.COM | 11