U.S. Army awards $7 billion in biomass energy contracts

Biomass Magazine

By Anna Simet | September 24, 2013

 

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The Battle of the Beltway: DoD awards $16M towards parity-cost, drop-in, non-food biofuels

Biofuels Digest

Jim Lane | May 27, 2013

 

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Defense bill done: biofuels survive

Biofuels Digest


Jim Lane
December 18, 2012   Read more

Military biofuels report prompts urges for congressional support

Biomass Magazine
By Anna Simet
November 14, 2012

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The Biofueled Military

Genome Web - The Daily Scan
August 28, 2012

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Green Machines

The Daily Scan - Genome Web
July 26, 2012

Nearly 400 retired US military officials signed a letter to Congress asking lawmakers to reconsider plans to prevent the US Navy from conducting research on biofuels or buying alternative fuels that cost more than traditional fuels, reports The Guardian. The proposal was put forth by Congressional Republicans who say that biofuels are too expensive and research into them takes focus away from security needs.

The Navy has shown that it can power jet fighters with a mixture of half conventional fuel and half algae or cooking oil. However, the alternative fuel costs $15 a gallon while the conventional fuel costs $3.60 a gallon.

The retired military officials say that reducing the Department of Defense's, as well as civilians', reliance on fossil fuels is vital to national security. "The Department of Defense should be looking at the widest possible diversity of fuel sources," says John Warner, a former navy secretary and former chair of the Senate armed services committee (R-Va.), to The Guardian. "We should continue to allow the department to move ahead with its innovation."

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The Obama plan for cost-competitive, military biofuels: The 10-Minute Guide

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane
July 3, 2012

Domestic, diversified military fuels or affordable fuels? “False choice!” says Obama.


Want to know all about the Administration’s ambitious, multi-agency program for cost-competitive military biofuels, but haven’t the time to plow through the mountain of documents?


The Digest’s 10-Minute Guide gives you the news you can use.

It’s finally here. The Obama Administration has laid out an integrated strategy for commercializing advanced biofuels, with a focus in this phase on military advanced biofuels at cost-competitive prices with conventional fuels.

The vehicle is a joint program between the DOE, USDA and the Department of Defense (principally, starring the US Navy, though, as we’ll see, critically including other elements).

In his Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future released in March 2011, President Obama set a goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025 and laid out an all-of-the-above energy plan to achieve that goal by developing domestic oil and gas energy resources, increasing energy efficiency, and speeding development of biofuels and other alternatives.

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RAND says US military cannot reduce biofuels price; should exit development; BIO disagrees

Biofuels Digest
Meghan Sapp
June 20, 2012

In Washington, a new study by the RAND Corporation says that the US military’s petroleum demand of 340,000 barrels per day, compared to global demand of 87 million barrels per day, isn’t large enough of a scale to impact the production cost of biofuels so should therefore stop spending money on more expensive alternative fuels.

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GAO report addresses federal renewable energy initiatives

Biodiesel Magazine
By Erin Voegele March 20, 2012

The U.S. Government Accountability Office has published a report outlining hundreds of initiatives that federal agencies have implemented regarding renewable energy. According to information released by the GAO, 23 agencies government wide, through 130 subagencies, implemented nearly 700 renewable energy initiatives in 2010. The U.S. Department of Defense, USDA, U.S. DOE, and the U.S. Department of the Interior were collectively responsible for nearly 60 percent of these initiatives.

Bioenergy, solar and wind topped the list of the most commonly supported sources of renewable energy. The GAO’s analysis also revealed that while the initiatives supported both public and private sectors, the majority of support was provided to the private sector. Across the federal agencies, more than 80 percent of initiatives were found to span four key federal roles. These include supporting research and development activities, the use of renewable energy in vehicle fleets and facilities, incentives for commercialization and deployment, and regulation, permitting and ensuring compliance. The GAO also noted that certain agencies were found to lead each of these four efforts. Specifically, DOE, DOD and USDA led research and development activities while the DOD, General Services Administration and DOE led efforts regarding energy use in fleets and facilities. Regarding commercialization and deployment, the GAO said efforts were led by the Treasury and USDA. Finally, regulation, permitting and compliance initiatives were led by the Interior and the EPA.

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A full copy of the report can be downloaded from the GAO website.

EERC to develop biofuel for US Military

Renewable Energy Focus
29 February 2012
By Kari Williamson

The Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) will develop alternative liquid fuels, including biofuel, for US military applications under a US$906,000 contract from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc (CCAT).

The EERC will demonstrate gasification-based technologies for converting non-petroleum feedstocks, such as coal and biomass, into liquid fuels including biofuel. The testing supports CCAT’s work for the US Defense Logistics Agency (US DLA).

The US Military has committed to increase energy security through the utilisation of domestic resources with life cycle CO2 emissions equal to or less than their petroleum-derived counterparts.

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Our troops deserve the support that flows from domestic biofuels, says Gen. Clark

Biofuels Digest
Jim Lane October 19, 2011 9

Consider this: Every time the price of a barrel of imported oil rises one dollar, it costs the Navy $31 million in increased fuel costs. The result is that the military must run fewer operations and complete fewer training exercises.

Our nation imagines itself the most free and secure in the world, yet this statistic clearly identifies America’s reliance on foreign oil as a significant threat to our economy and national security.

We can no longer afford to allow a handful of countries—many controlled by dictators and strongmen—to exert this kind of influence over our military or our economy.

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The Defense Department Is a Significant Driver of New Technology

Biofuels Digest
June 3, 2011
By Brent Erickson, Digest columnist, Executive VP, Industrial Environmental Section, BIO

To carry out military and humanitarian missions around the world, U.S. forces require reliable fuel supplies and secure supply lines. The military is as much at the mercy of high oil and gasoline prices as the average consumer. And, oil often comes from regions of the world that are not U.S. military allies. Energy independence is therefore a national security issue.

U.S. troops, their trucks, ships and airplanes use close to 2 percent of the nation’s energy on an annual basis, making the military a small but significant consumer of fuel. In 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense used about 119 million barrels of oil for fuel.

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NMSU In Las Cruces Receives Federal Grant For Algae Fuel Research

New Mexico State University
KRWG News (2010-11-22)

LAS CRUCES (krwg) - The U.S. military wants New Mexico State University to find improved ways to turn algae into a sustainable source for jet fuel. The research project is part of a $2.346 million grant funded by the Air Force where NMSU will study better ways to grow algae and refine its oil while working with the University of Central Florida to determine the effects of algae-based fuel on jet engines.

"Demand for petroleum will eventually outpace the supply," said Shuguang Deng, a chemical engineering professor at NMSU and the lead researcher on the project. "The use of petroleum-based jet fuel is not sustainable and negatively impacts the environment. That's a national security issue."

Deng said the U.S. Department of Defense consumes 4.6 billion gallons of jet fuel each year and all airplanes globally consume approximately 80 billion gallons of jet fuel yearly. He believes with that level of consumption, the sustainable use of biofuels for aviation has the potential to create far-reaching military and commercial development opportunities.

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Syracuse University Partners with Arden-Fox to Support the Advancement of Department of Defense's Net Zero Energy Initiative

PRNewswire

Syracuse partnership substitutes petroleum diesel with biodiesel
NEW YORK, Oct. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Syracuse University today announced a partnership to advance the use of biofuels by the U.S. armed forces as an alternative energy source. The effort involves entrepreneurs John Fox '92 and Wayne Arden, who have proposed producing biodiesel in Afghanistan as a means to achieve multiple benefits, including reducing risks to American troops and building a new, sustainable economy in the country.

With energy demands growing at home bases along with many global deployments creating logistical challenges, the Department of Defense (DOD) is working to increase the use of renewable energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuel resources and to achieve 'net zero energy' (NZE) throughout the military. The Arden-Fox report "Producing and Using Biodiesel in Afghanistan" analyzed latest off-the-shelf solutions that could be implemented to produce biodiesel in Afghanistan that will reduce casualties as well as create new industry for building a stable nation.

The creation of this new partnership will allow for piloting of the recommendations included in the report and documentation of the economical viability of the proposal.

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New DOD Report Finds U.S. Ill-Equipped to Deal With Dependance on Foreign Oil

Biofuels Journal
Date Posted: July 27, 2010

Washington, DC—America’s current energy posture undermines our economic security and constitutes a serious and urgent threat to our national security.

However, the Department of Defense (DoD) could help turn this potential threat into the next great American opportunity, according to a board of 15 top-ranking admirals and generals.

Released today, “Powering America’s Economy: Energy Innovation at the Crossroads of National Security, issued by the Military Advisory Board (MAB) of CNA, a not-for-profit research organization, stresses that economic security is integral to American national security.

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US military funds $35M in research of algae-based jet fuel

cleantech.com
December 22, 2008

Science Applications International and General Atomics secure contracts through 2010 to help commercialize biofuel for military jets and vehicles.

A sector of the U.S. Department of Defense has signed nearly $35 million in contracts with two San Diego companies to develop biofuel derived from algae for use in Air Force jets and Army vehicles.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) signed a $14.9 million deal with Science Applications International to work on making the algae-based jet fuel commercially and technically feasible.

DARPA also signed a $19.9 million deal with General Atomics to research algae-based fuel.
The two agreements are expected to last through 2010.

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