Navy Plans to Cut Fossil Fuel Usage in Half through Biofuel Initiatives

Oct. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Phoenix, AZ - According to a new report military efforts to use sustainable biofuels across all branches has increased dramatically. Fuel used in military vehicles accounts for 75 percent of the Department of Defense’s energy consumption. The “Military Biofuel Applications” reports examines how the military is using biofuel to reduce costs, curb emissions, and practice energy independence.

In March 2010, President Obama announced energy policies that include the development and use of advanced biofuels in the America’s military fleet. The Navy’s 2020 land and sea operations goal is to cut fossil fuel usage in half, largely through the use of biofuels.

Biofuel is any fuel that is derived from biomass - recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts. It is a renewable energy source, unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal, and nuclear fuels. To date, the only biofuel that could be competitive with petroleum fuels is ethanol from sugarcane grown in the Center-South region of Brazil, although new biofuel sources are aggressively being developed.

President Obama announced that the Pentagon is not only seeking alternative fuels to protect the environment but to pursue homegrown energy sources to protect national security. "Our military leaders recognize the security imperative of increasing the use of alternative fuels, decreasing energy use, reducing our reliance on imported oil, making ourselves more energy-efficient," he said.Speaking in a hangar at Andrews Air Force Base, he called for a goal of using 50% more alternative fuels in all Navy planes, vehicles and ships in the next 10 years.

In Washington, the Department of the Navy outlined its biofuels goals, which include demonstration of its new, fossil-fuel independent Green Strike Group, using hybrid electric-diesel systems, nuclear power, and biofuels powering both fleet and aircraft, by 2012. By 2016 the Navy plans to set the Green Strike Group to sail, and by 2020, the Navy’s goal is to cut fossil fuel usage by half.

Already, substantial progress has been made. The report discusses existing efforts, including a 2009 Navy purchase of 40,000 gallons of jet fuel derived from camelina, a weedy relative of canola; and 20,055 gallons of algae-derived fuel for ships. Also highlighted in the report is the Navy ARIES (Automated Real-time, Remote, Integrated Energy System) project, which is an automated, portable biodiesel production unit that can be controlled from a remote location.

The report includes a detailed overview of military efforts to bring biofuel into widespread use throughout all branches. In addition, the report analyzes different feedstock crops and shows which hold the most promise for sustainable biofuel production, and looks at how the military is supporting this development.

View full details at: http://EnergyBusinessReports.com/shop/Military-Biofuel-Ap...

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