Combustibili Fossili; Petrolio e derivati, Carbone, Gas.
Army And Marines Go Fossil Fuel-Free
May 24, 2011
By Paul McLeary
Washington
In 2006, a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement written by the top ground commander in western Iraq wound its way through the bureaucracy of Multinational Force-Iraq to Central Command and finally to the Pentagon?s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) at Fort Belvoir, Va. There it was handed off to then-Col. Dan Nolan, who says that when it reached his desk, the attitude of those who reviewed the request was ?this is kind of weird,? since no one had ?ever seen anything like it.?
The request wasn?t for anything that would allow troops to engage the enemy, but for gear that would help Americans stay away from roadside bombs. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, commander of Multinational Force-West, had had enough of his troops being blown up while driving fuel-laden supply convoys to small outposts. He requested a ?renewable and self-sustainable energy solution . . . to augment our use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, such as photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines.? He wanted troops to produce their own energy and be freed from dangers of constant resupply.
While Zilmer?s request for 183 commercial renewable-energy systems would be denied, his request woke the Pentagon up to the energy needs that small, dispersed units have and the huge material and human costs of keeping them supplied.
That initial request was modest, but the Army and Marine Corps are now doubling down on their commitment to renewable energy on the battlefield. Both services are shipping everything from hybrid generators for base camps to small collapsible solar panels that recharge handheld electronics to Afghanistan this year. There has been little hoopla over the deployment of some of these renewable technologies, but if they prove out, 2011 may be a major turning point in how the U.S. military meets battlefield energy needs in the future.
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http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/dti/2011/05/01/DT_05_01_2011_p28-312668.xml&headline=Army And Marines Go Fossil Fuel-Free
The budget environment, however, ?is adding a whole new interest in solving the energy question in a more serious way and much more broadly within the department than 3-5 years ago,? she adds. Kidd says that if the microgrid experiment is successful, ?we envision a day when microgrids are standard practice in what we do.?
These technologies, along with the Marine Corps? plan to rely on liquid fuel for vehicles only by 2025, point the way to further innovation.
But to tie these programs together, as well as those in the Navy and Air Force, as Burke and her office are tasked to do, the Defense Department still needs an overall strategy for energy use?one that is overdue.
Army And Marines Go Fossil Fuel-Free
May 24, 2011
By Paul McLeary
Washington
In 2006, a Joint Urgent Operational Needs Statement written by the top ground commander in western Iraq wound its way through the bureaucracy of Multinational Force-Iraq to Central Command and finally to the Pentagon?s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) at Fort Belvoir, Va. There it was handed off to then-Col. Dan Nolan, who says that when it reached his desk, the attitude of those who reviewed the request was ?this is kind of weird,? since no one had ?ever seen anything like it.?
The request wasn?t for anything that would allow troops to engage the enemy, but for gear that would help Americans stay away from roadside bombs. Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Richard Zilmer, commander of Multinational Force-West, had had enough of his troops being blown up while driving fuel-laden supply convoys to small outposts. He requested a ?renewable and self-sustainable energy solution . . . to augment our use of fossil fuels with renewable energy, such as photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines.? He wanted troops to produce their own energy and be freed from dangers of constant resupply.
While Zilmer?s request for 183 commercial renewable-energy systems would be denied, his request woke the Pentagon up to the energy needs that small, dispersed units have and the huge material and human costs of keeping them supplied.
That initial request was modest, but the Army and Marine Corps are now doubling down on their commitment to renewable energy on the battlefield. Both services are shipping everything from hybrid generators for base camps to small collapsible solar panels that recharge handheld electronics to Afghanistan this year. There has been little hoopla over the deployment of some of these renewable technologies, but if they prove out, 2011 may be a major turning point in how the U.S. military meets battlefield energy needs in the future.
... continua al link sottoriportato ...
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/dti/2011/05/01/DT_05_01_2011_p28-312668.xml&headline=Army And Marines Go Fossil Fuel-Free
The budget environment, however, ?is adding a whole new interest in solving the energy question in a more serious way and much more broadly within the department than 3-5 years ago,? she adds. Kidd says that if the microgrid experiment is successful, ?we envision a day when microgrids are standard practice in what we do.?
These technologies, along with the Marine Corps? plan to rely on liquid fuel for vehicles only by 2025, point the way to further innovation.
But to tie these programs together, as well as those in the Navy and Air Force, as Burke and her office are tasked to do, the Defense Department still needs an overall strategy for energy use?one that is overdue.