by Shane Henson — April 6, 2012—The U.S. military may be the largest in the world, but that doesn’t mean it has to have the biggest environmental footprint. Recognizing this, the U.S. Army is taking significant steps toward operating more sustainably, including through partnering with industry to invest up to $7 billion over the next 10 years in renewable energy sources, including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal energy.
The military department recently released a draft request for proposal (RFP) that could allow multiple projects to begin nationwide. The draft RFP indicates that the Army intends to primarily purchase renewable-generated electricity through power purchase agreements with the project developers.
According to Army officials, the investment will help it reach its goal of having 25 percent of its estimated 2.5 million megawatt hours come from renewable sources by 2025. In addition to energy conservation, installations will strive to establish alternative forms of energy that will allow them to “island” or continue to operate should the power grid fail.
The Army’s Energy Initiatives Task Force serves as the central managing office to plan and execute large-scale renewable energy projects of greater than 10 megawatts (roughly enough to power 30,000 homes) on Army installations, which will be accomplished by leveraging private-sector financing. A renewable-energy project guide will be issued for comment later in the spring, say Army officials.
