Pentagon needs alternative power sources for deployed troops

U.S. supply convoys in Afghanistan, which are devoted in large part to transporting fuel into war zones, have suffered the loss of more than 3,000 troops or contractors over the past decade, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III told a White House forum on energy security on Tuesday.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency estimates that 70 percent of the fuel transported over hazardous supply routes to Afghanistan is used for power generation at base camp and forward operating bases; hence, Lynn said, Defense needs to find new ways to provide power at those bases.

Lynn said the Marine Corps has forged the way with the use of renewable power by one of its units, which returned in April from an eight-month deployment. The 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment used solar panels as alternate energy sources so effectively, Lynn said, that two patrol bases ran completely on solar power, while another derived 90 percent of its energy requirements from solar power.

Individual Marines carried their own solar panels, allowing one patrol to use them to recharge radio batteries over a three-week period rather than rely on resupply.

The largest of the solar panel systems the Marines deployed to Afghanistan, ZeroBase Regenerator, consists of six large solar panels funneling energy into one battery that can power more than 20 lights and 15 computers at one time, according to a Marine news release.

Staff Sgt. David Doty, a squad leader in the 3rd Battalion, said the solar system has drastically cut fuel requirements for generators. "Our generators typically use more than 20 gallons of fuel a day. We are down to 2.5 gallons a day," Doty said.

This reduction in fuel use enhances security, Doty added. "By saving fuel for generators, it has cut back on the number of convoys, meaning less opportunity for one of our vehicles to hit an" improvised explosive device.

Lynn said Defense currently consumes more energy than two-thirds of the countries in the world, and needs to develop an energy efficiency strategy to cuts its fuel bill, noting that the cost of gasoline has risen 250 percent over the past decade. In the future, Lynn added, Defense will build energy performance requirements into its plans for new systems.

The Army plans only limited use of alternative energy systems on the battlefield, Richard Kidd, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for energy, told a media round table on Tuesday.

The Army intends to focus on energy demand reduction at remote bases, including insulated tents, use of energy-efficient light bulbs and improved power management systems, Kidd said. It also wants to acquire generators that have 20 percent greater efficiency than current models.

Dale Houck, energy project lead at the Army Logistics Innovation Agency, said the service can also cut energy use at forward bases with the use of solar- powered water heaters for showers, solar collector for heat and digitally controlled smart grid systems to manage energy use and distribution.

Kidd said the best investment the Army can make to control its energy use "is to give individuals the information they need to make informed energy decisions." Every soldier, Kidd said, needs "to become a power manager."