A War on Global Warming

The US military improves its carbon footprint

The military is America’s largest consumer of fuel, spending over $15 billion last year alone. It has an enormous carbon footprint and its reliance on fossil fuels encumbers progress and renders it vulnerable to attack. All that is about to change as the military adopts new energy policies that will save lives, money and the environment too.

Recent congressional directives and presidential orders are forcing the military to clean up their act. In an effort to reduce costs and improve safety, the Pentagon has ordered the military to develop weapons which are more environmentally friendly, utilize renewable energy sources, and encourage more energy-efficient behaviour from their troops.

One of the greatest motivations for the move is the growing cost of fossil fuels. In WW2, each soldier required only 1 gallon of fuel per day to function efficiently. Modern military operations utilize a staggering 22 gallons per soldier per day. The cost of providing this fuel is overwhelming. Supplying fuel for the 300,000 service men and women in Iraq in 2007 required 1,000 trucks a day and 35, 400 troops who often took weeks to drive fuel to distant outposts. The cost of each gallon could spiral to hundreds of dollars (over $400 dollars in some cases) as it had to be trucked or flown to remote areas over rugged terrain. One in eight casualties was sustained in the transport or protection of fuel convoys.

A leaner, greener military will see a reduction in costs and the carbon footprint of operations. If troops in the field are able to rely on renewable energy sources like solar, they will be more mobile and efficient.

Small portable solar arrays, which can be rolled up and easily transported, provide troops in the field with a power source for their electronic equipment. Larger solar panels are used to supply power to bases for air conditioning, lighting and electronic equipment.

The major source of consumption is vehicular and the military have been experimenting for some time with biofuels. The Navy is developing “the great green fleet” which comprises an aircraft carrier and F-18 fighter jets and helicopters that run on bio-fuels. The fleet will be deployed by 2016. By 2020, the military hopes that at least 50% of its energy will come from renewable sources.

Bases also consume massive amounts of energy, especially in areas of inclement weather. Although new buildings are already expected to attain LEED certification, the military hopes that all bases will be net zero by 2020. The military uses a two-prong approach to achieve these lofty energy efficiency targets; a reliance on the strength and insulating powers of ICFs coupled with renewable energy sources such as solar, geothermal and wind energy to power operations.

General Martin E. Dempsey puts it like this: “Saving energy saves lives… Whatever and whenever our forces go into harm’s way, they must have the best tools available. Improving our energy security can help us do that, and we don’t have time to waste”

Solar Powered Rukus

The Rukus is the first portable Bluetooth sound system with a solar panel to wirelessly stream music from a compatible device. As you can see, it is made to be portable, and the speakers are pretty cool, it almost looks like a pair of binoculars. And it produces some pretty kickin’ noise.

What really sells the Rukus is its 40 square-inch solar panel that can harvest the sun’s energy, and it takes about six hours of direct sunlight for a full recharge. The Press release says that it “never runs out of power”, but that might be an exaggeration. It is very energy efficient, and can be charged via AC adapter. The Rukus also has an integrated USB port so it can charge other devices as well.

Although you can’t see it very well in the photo, the Rukus has an E Ink SURF segmented display, which can display information without draining the onboard battery. The display can also be read in direct sunlight and at a 180-degree viewing angle.

5 Solar energy developments to look forward to in 2012

1. Increase in solar investment

As many countries, states and provinces in North America and Europe provide incentives for home owners to install solar arrays while launching large-scale projects of their own, the solar industry will continue to grow. India is also stepping up its solar presence. This year Rajasthan will invest in various projects totalling 200 MW. Ontario’s own Recurrent Energy has secured funding for a 200 MW investment spread over 20 solar projects.

2. Not being killed by killer solar flares

NASA has issued clarifications on the predictions that increased solar flare activity could have catastrophic implications for the inhabitants of earth. They have moved the solar flare dates back to 2013 and 2014 and claim that the worst we can expect is a disruption of cell phone and GPS signals. Although they admit the possibility of blowing transformers in power grids, this is certainly a far cry from previous apocalyptic predictions.

3. Solar PV prices will come down

Solar panel prices will continue to drop, this despite the brewing conflict between the US and China over solar subsidies. In December 2011, the US International Trade Commission found that subsidies to the solar industry by the Chinese government rendered Chinese solar imports dangerous to the local economy. This clears the way for the Commerce Department to impose heavy import tariffs on Chinese-made solar products. An infuriated China pointed to US subsidies of the industry, most notably the $535 million subsidy the now defunct solar manufacturer Solyndra received from the federal government. Although this could ultimately lead to a tip-for-tat imposition of import tariffs that could drive solar prices up, several delays in imposing the tariffs by the Commerce Department are expected this year.

4. More Solar Powered Gadgets

Great gadgets are key for the spread of solar energy this year. The SolarKindle is a cover that charges your Kindle while providing a reading lamp for night reading. The Husqvarna Automower is a Roomba for your lawn which is powered by the sun. This cute little mower can cover lawns of up to 1/2 acre without any help from humans. Although it still needs to be charged, solar panels on the top of the fully automated machine will augment power supplies. Solar powered toys are also on the increase with small solar panels negating the need for batteries.

5. Exponential increase in solar efficiency

Breakthroughs in solar technology in 2011 were legion including full spectrum cells which enable solar panels to absorb light from the whole solar spectrum. Also in the offing were polymer solar cells which used textured substrate layers to improve performance by 20%. Japanese scientists took a slightly more bizarre turn, creating a non-reflective film to improve solar efficiency by using the inside of moth’s eyes as inspiration. The crowning glory of the year was the group of Stanford researches who succeeded in creating solar cells with quantum efficiencies exceeding 100% that marked the year’s most significant increase in solar efficiency.

2012 will be a solar year

The rapidity of technological advancement of solar energy coupled with dropping prices and increased financial support from governments worldwide promise to give solar its best year ever. Predictions see US growth doubling each quarter for the next year; bolstered by government investments. In 2012, it seems the future of solar is so bright, you may have to wear shades.