Why The U.S. Army Wants To Develop Solar Power

Solar panels sit atop dirt-filled barriers Sept. 30, 2011, at Patrol Base Boldak, Afghanistan. Boldak was designated an experimental forward operating base, an installation used to implement the Marine Corps latest efficient and alternative energy technologies. (Cpl. Bryan Nygaard/U.S Marine Corps/Defense Imagery)

Exploding Fuel Tankers Driving U.S. Army To Solar Power -- Fuel Fix

The U.S. Army is spending billions of dollars shifting toward solar energy, recycled water and better-insulated tents. The effort isn’t about saving the Earth.

Instead, commanders have found they can save lives through energy conservation. It’s especially true in Afghanistan, where protecting fuel convoys is one of the most dangerous jobs, with one casualty for every 24 missions in some years.

With renewable energy, “there is no supply chain vulnerability, there are no commodity costs and there’s a lower chance of disruption,” Richard Kidd, the deputy assistant secretary of the Army in charge of energy security, said in an interview. “A fuel tanker can be shot at and blown up. The sun’s rays will still be there.”

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My Comment: The cost benefits of most green projects never materialize .... but on this project for the military it does make sense. Fuel and energy are the forces that drive a military .... developing technologies that diversifies this requirement is smart on many levels.