Fracking Will Impact Today's Geopolitical Status Quo

How Fracking Could Affect U.S. Policy Towards The Middle East -- Daniel J. Gallington, U.S. News And World Report

Daniel Gallington is the Senior Policy and Program Adviser at the George C. Marshall Institute in Arlington, Va. He served in senior national security policy positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Department of Justice, and as bipartisan general counsel for the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.


In the news a lot recently is "fracking," the shorthand for "fracturing". It's an oil-drilling technique that's becoming increasingly effective for recovering lots of oil and gas from rock formations—and is undergoing widening application in the United States.

In fact, a recent public report by the National Intelligence Council says that modern fracking for oil in the United States is a "technological revolution, which won't be completely understood for some time." And that "in a tectonic shift, energy independence is not unrealistic for the US in as short a period as 10-20 years."

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My Comment: For much of the past 40 years U.S. foreign policy has been influenced and guided by it's need for energy .... if this status quo can be changed, the consequences on us and on countries like Iran, Venezuela, Russia, Saudi Arabia .... all of this can only work in our favor (environmental concerns aside).

America’s Solar Soldiers

Solar Panel in Afghanistan. Photo credit: Popsci.com/Major Paul Greenberg/U.S.M.C.

America’s Solar Soldiers -- Global Post

The Pentagon turns to green energy — to save lives and build military strength.

NEW YORK — They're some of the country's most important environmental activists, poised to change the way we create, consume and conceive of energy.

But you won't find this cadre of green preachers on a college campus, or emceeing the Sierra Club's annual meeting.

You'll find them, clad in blazers and pantsuits, pushing their agenda behind the guarded walls of the Pentagon.

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My Comment: The modern military needs fuel and energy .... finding a more effective way to deliver it will go a long way to minimize casualties (for those who deliver it), and to make FOBs less dependent on these supplies for their operations.

Green Generators For The U.S. Military

Lockheed Gambles On Green Generators For U.S. Military -- Forbes

Lockheed Martin, the multinational security and aerospace conglomerate based in Bethesda, Maryland, is developing solid oxide fuel cell generators that will replace reliance on traditional battlefield power solutions and potentially reduce the fuel required for tactical generation of electric power by half or more.

The fuel cell technology, which is being developed with support of the U.S. Office of Naval Research, will be tailored to integrate with solar PV panels, which will reduce the amount of fuel needed to support forward operating military bases. In less than years, Lockheed plans to “demonstrate and deliver a multi-kilowatt JP-8 compatible Fuel Cell Efficient Power Node for evaluation by the U.S. Marines.”

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My Comment: The availability and access to power is one of the many essential components for any modern military. Any enhancement of power availability will have long term benefits.

The U.S. Navy's Biofuels Project Draws Criticism

The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan travels through the Pacific Ocean with other ships assigned to the Rim of the Pacific 2010 exercise, north of Hawaii, July 24, 2010. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dylan McCord

Military Spending On Biofuels Draws Fire -- New York Times

When the Navy put a Pacific fleet through maneuvers on a $12 million cocktail of biofuels this summer, it proved that warships could actually operate on diesel from algae or chicken fat.

“It works in the engines that we have, it works in the aircraft that we have, it works in the ships that we have,” said Ray Mabus, secretary of the Navy. “It is seamless.”

The still-experimental fuels are also expensive — about $27 a gallon for the fuel used in the demonstration, compared with about $3.50 a gallon for conventional military fuels.

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My Comment: In a time of tight budgets .... they spend money on this?

Is The U.S. Navy's Biofuels Program A Boondoggle?

Last month, the U.S. Navy deployed the Paul F. Foster - a decommissioned destroyer now used for experimental purposes - on a 17-hour voyage powered by Solazyme Inc.'s algae-derived biofuel. Photo: U.S. Navy

McCain Sees Another Solyndra In Navy Biofuels Spending -- The Hill

The Navy’s push to develop biofuels to run its fleet of planes and warships could devolve into a “Solyndra situation” for the Pentagon, a top Republican senator said today.

During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee, ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) compared the now-bankrupt solar energy company, into which the White House sank $535 million in loan guarantees, to Navy-led efforts in alternative energy.

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My Comment: What caught my eye was the following ....

.... But Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) pointed out that even at a competitive price, the Navy’s plan to use a “50/50 blend” of diesel fuel and a biofuel supplement would still cost $15 per gallon. Traditional JP-5 jet fuel used in the Navy’s fighter aircraft runs $4 to $5 per gallon on average, Inhofe said.

$15 per gallon !!!!! .... you've got to be kidding me. And what is even worse is that these are just projections .... projections from a government agency that has a lousy record in projecting anything.

Bottom line .... it is too expensive and if implemented will help in busting the defense department's budget. My suggestion .... go back to the drawing board and find an alternative plan that is more practical and economically feasible.

Scandal Ridden And Bankrupt Solyndra Came Close To Having A US Navy Deal

WSJ's Peter Landers has exclusive details of one of Solyndra's investors assisting the solar-power company land a lucrative U.S. Navy contract. Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

Solyndra Came Close to Landing Navy Deal -- Wall Street Journal

A major investor in Solyndra LLC was instrumental in helping the troubled solar-power firm compete for a potentially lucrative U.S. Navy deal, a previously unreported connection that will likely fuel controversy surrounding the company.

Solyndra was promoted to the Navy by RockPort Capital, one of the firm's largest investors and board members, which has a seat on a Pentagon panel that helps the government find emerging technologies.

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More News On Solyndra Landing A Navy Deal

Solyndra Investor’s Role in a U.S. Navy Project Gets Republican Scrutiny -- Bloomberg
Solyndra investor promoted panels to the Navy: report -- Reuters
Solyndra Neared Navy Deal -- Daily Beast
Solyndra Almost Scored Navy Deal -- Newser

My Comment: The Solyndra scandal and the politics behind it has tarnished the US solar industry .... and could have tarnished the US Navy and its efforts to develop alternative energies. On a side note .... the U.S. military's efforts to develop renewable and alternative energies is big business, with some reports indicating budgets that will total $10 billion annually till 2030.

So Much For The U.S. Military Going Green

Photo: US Department of Defense

Solyndra Fall-Out Could Tank Solar For Military Bases -- CNET

SolarCity said today that the Department of Energy has not been able to finalize a loan guarantee for a project to install rooftop solar panels on military bases, blaming the political furor caused by bankrupt solar company Solyndra.

Earlier this month, the Department of Energy announced a $344 million conditional loan guarantee agreement with SolarCity to install solar photovoltaic panels at Department of Defense bases in 33 states. The distributed solar project, called SolarStrong, would have doubled the number of residential solar installations in the U.S. and would have been the largest rooftop solar project.

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My Comment: The sheer thievery and incompetence of Solyndra all but guarantees that future government monies for such projects will disappear .... especially when Congress starts to do what they should have done with Solyndra .... provide oversight and accountability.

Renewable Energy Being Introduced Into Afghanistan

Soldiers inspect the inside of a generator during the recent Power User Conference. Standardized military generators are evolving to consume less fuel and link together to intelligently manage the power supply. Photo credit Claire Heininger

U.S. Marines Get A Boost From Solar Power In Afghanistan -- Daily Tech

While most alternative energy advocates and critics focus their attention on macro-solar power -- vast fields of panels or collecting dishes -- there has also been a lot of recent growth in micro-solar power (using solar cells to recharge portable devices).

The U.S. Marines has just completed a test of new solar-powered gear in the field in Afghanistan. The new equipment was trialed by India Company, a component of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. The test lasted three weeks and took the company through Sangin, one of the deadliest regions in southern Afghanistan.

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More News On the Use Of Renewable Energy In Afghanistan

Solar Updates Marines' Arsenal -- Wall Street Journal
Army's Ambitious Renewable Energy Goals Run Into War-Zone Realities -- Climate Wire/New York Times
Solar Power Means Less Batteries and More Bullets for U.S. Marines -- FOX News
Troops explore emerging energy solutions -- U.S. Air Force
Marines switching to solar power -- Cooler Planet
Troops explore current, future energy solutions at Mobile Electric Power event -- Army.mil

Marines In Afghanistan Are Getting Use To Using Solar Panels

Marines With ExFOB Marines and sailors of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment pose with their Afghan national army counterparts in front of a solar power generator at Patrol Base Sparks, in Sangin District, Afghanistan. Photo by Gunnery Sgt. William Price/USMC

Marines in Afghanistan Find That Solar Panels Save Soldiers' Lives -- Popular Science

A battalion of Marines in Afghanistan is going green, using solar panels to reduce their energy consumption and thereby reduce the things they carry — and even save lives.

The Marines and sailors of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment arrived last October at Forward Operating Base Jackson, outside Sangin, Afghanistan, with an array of solar equipment. The battalion’s generators typically use more than 20 gallons of fuel a day, but the Marines have cut that to 2.5 gallons a day, according to Staff Sgt. David Doty, who maintains the gear.

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My Comment: I just hope that they do not get cloudy days for a long period of time.

Green Energy Has Not Benefited The U.S. Army

A display of camelina and algae fuels and processes for making renewable fuels. John F. Williams/United States Navy

Alternative Fuels Don’t Benefit The Military, A RAND Report Says -- New York Times

The United States would derive no meaningful military benefit from increased use of alternative fuels to power its jets, ships and other weapons systems, according to a government-commissioned study by the RAND Corporation scheduled for release Tuesday.

The report also argued that most alternative-fuel technologies were unproven, too expensive or too far from commercial scale to meet the military’s needs over the next decade.

In particular, the report argued that the Defense Department was spending too much time and money exploring experimental biofuels derived from sources like algae or the flowering plant camelina, and that more focus should be placed on energy efficiency as a way of combating greenhouse gas emissions.

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Update #1: Biofuels of No Benefit to Military -- RAND -- New York Times
Update #2: Study says greener military isn't better military, DoD disagrees -- CNN
Update #3: No Direct Military Benefit From Use of Alternative Fuels by Armed Forces, RAND Study Finds -- AScribe.org
Comment #4: Biofuels Can’t Cut Military Muster, Study Says -- Forbes
Comment #5: Biofuels and the Military: Reality Strikes Back -- OpenMarket.org

My Comment: The military is circling the wagons on this one. Considering how much has already been spent ..... and how much is in the pipeline to be spent .... this should not be a surprised.

The full Rand report can be read here.

The U.S. Military Plans To Go Green

An F/A-18 Super Hornet is seen in Patuxent River, Maryland on March 29, 2010. The aircraft will test replacement biofuel made from the camelina plant in an effort to certify alternative fuels for naval aviation use. UPI/Noel Hepp/U.S. Navy

U.S. Navy Spells Out Green Agenda -- UPI

WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. Navy aims to use alternative energy to meet 50 percent of its needs within the next 10 years, an environmental official said in Washington.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Philip Cullom, a director of environmental readiness for the force, said the Navy was testing a command boat that used a 50-50 blend of algae-based fuel and conventional petroleum as part of a green-energy campaign.

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More News On The U.S. Military's Goal Of Going Green

U.S. Navy Works to Create Greener Footprint -- Defpro
Military, gov't increase investment in algae fuels -- AP
Navy Debuts First Eco-Friendly Ship: A ‘Mean, Green Riverine Machine’ -- The Danger Room
US Navy tests boat powered by seaweed -- The Telegraph
US navy completes successful test on boat powered by algae -- The Guardian
Like the Rest of the Military, the U.S. Coast Guard Is Going 'Green' -- National Defense
U.S. Navy, Cobalt to develop military jet biofuel -- Mil-Tech
Cobalt Technologies and U.S. Navy to Jointly Develop Military Jet Fuel -- PR Newswire
Cobalt Technologies inks Navy jet fuel deal -- SF Business Times
The Pentagon Wants Green Energy To Power US Troops -- Green Investing
Surging price of oil forces US military to seek alternative energy sources -- The Guardian
Is the Pentagon Serious About Going Green? -- Mil-Tech
Pentagon going green, because it has to -- Olivia Hampton, Vancouver Sun/AFP
Military Makes Efforts to Go Green for Safety -- Elizabeth Barthelmes, The Heights
EarthTalk: Can the Military Go Green -- Infozine
US Military: Still the World's Largest Polluter -- Tree Hugger

US Navy Has Successfully Tested A Boat That Uses Fuel From Seaweed

The Navy said that the boat's performance was indistinguishable from a boat using standard diesel fuel Photo: GETTY IMAGES

US Navy Tests Boat Powered By Seaweed -- The Telegraph

The US Navy has successfully tested a boat that uses fuel derived from seaweed.

In an attempt to reduce the Navy's dependence on petroleum, engineers designed and built an experimental craft that runs on a blend of 50 per cent diesel and 50 per cent algae-based fuel.

The 49-foot command boat, which is intended for use in rivers and marshes, was tested at Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, reaching a speed of 44.5 knots.

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My Comment: The US Navy's energy/fuel bill is astronomical each year .... any alternative fuels that can undercut this expense will be appreciated.

Wind Farms Impacting Military Bases

A wind turbine sits 457 metres from Barbara Ashbee’s abandoned home at the Melancthon/Amaranth wind farm in Ontario. Photo from Wind Concerns Ontario

Military Officials Say Wind Turbines Can Stir Up Problems For Bases -- Star Telegram

AUSTIN -- Giant wind turbines dotting the Texas landscape have made the Lone Star State the nation's leader in the development of wind power, but they may also pose a hazard to military installations by interfering with crucial radar operations, state lawmakers were told Tuesday.

Standing 250 feet high with 150-foot-long blades, the wind turbines could cause false signals on radar and endanger aerial maneuvers or produce erroneous information about storm conditions, several military officials told the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs.

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My Comment: They are not the only ones who have been reporting health effects from wind turbines. Read here, here, and here.

The U.S. Navy Goes Green

The U.S.S. Makin Island. U.S. Navy

The Navy Goes in Search of a U.S.S. Prius

If you think of a puny, 3,000-lb. Toyota Prius when someone says "hybrid," watch out for the U.S. Navy's version: a 40,000-ton behemoth carrying attack planes, helicopters, missiles and more than 1,000 Marines. Much like the Prius, the new 844-ft. U.S.S. Makin Island is powered by thirsty gas-turbine engines for top speeds but uses electrical motors for slower travel.

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus raved about the new vessel last week, saying its ability to sip fuel rather than gulp it gives the Navy more punch while making it less vulnerable to unfriendly nations that are turning off the oil spigot. "The whole notion is to make us better war fighters and to quit buying as much energy from potentially volatile places on earth — places that maybe we shouldn't depend on," he said. Ships that need less fuel also aren't tethered as tightly to the oilers that refuel them, giving them added flexibility.

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My Comment: Energy is the Achilles heel for every military in the world. The U.S. Navy is only acting on this concern.

Green Projects In The U.S. Military Starting To Show Results

Photo: US DoD

U.S. Military's Green Projects To Save $1.6 Billion Over Time -- USA Today

It's not just the troops' uniforms that are green: The U.S. military says its investments to conserve energy and water are beginning to pay off, with benefits for cost, national security and troop safety.

The Army has cut water usage at its permanent bases and other facilities around the world by 31% since 2004, according to Pentagon data. The amount of energy used per square foot at Army facilities declined 10.4% during that same period.

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My Comment: I can only hope that the research and development costs did not exceed $1.6 billion.

Navy Submarine Runs Eternally On Thermal Power From Ocean Currents

SOLO-TREC Deployed off the Coast Of Hawaii NASA/JPL/U.S. Navy/Scripps Institution of Oceanography

From Popular Science:

A Navy-funded thermal engine bobbing off the coast of Hawaii is accomplishing a rare feat -- it produces more energy than it consumes. Though it's not quite a perpetual motion machine, it could provide scientists or the Navy with a perpetual presence on the seas. The engine is attached to an unmanned underwater vessel, called SOLO-TREC (for Sounding Oceanographic Lagrangian Observer -- Thermal RECharging), and uses the energy of the ocean to derive a practically limitless energy supply.

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Mobile Nuclear Reactors Could Provide Power and Jet Fuel for Military, DARPA Says

Navy Aircraft Could nuclear-powered carriers use their reactors and seawater to provide jet fuel for their aircraft? U.S. Navy/Stephen Rowe

From Popular Science:

Making U.S. Navy carrier groups and Army bases more self-sufficient and energy-efficient could mean turning to mobile nuclear reactors. The Pentagon's DARPA scientists have put forth the modest proposal of deploying miniature reactors to convert hydrogen and carbon into military jet fuel, as well as providing power, The Register reports.

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My Comment: Going nuclear .... even on a small scale .... has been on the table for as long as I can remember. But I suspect that with concerns over energy supplies growing, what was once considered a "far-off" idea is now a practical approach towards insuring reliable energy supplies and sources for the military.

Navy Pledges Green Strike Group By 2012

The Navy is Going Green The Navy will demonstrate a Green Strike Group, like the George Washington Carrier Strike Group pictured here, by 2012; the group will run on biofuels and nuclear power rather than fossil fuels.

From Popular Science:

Militaries have a tough, often messy job to do, and as such taking steps to polish their green credentials generally isn’t a high priority. But the potential cost savings – not to mention the tactical advantages – of going green are not lost on U.S. Armed Forces’ top brass. The Army has pursued “zero footprint” base camps, and the Air Force is looking into a variety of alternative propellants that could be turned into jet fuel. Now the Navy is going green, signing a memorandum of understanding with the USDA to demo a Green Strike Group of biofuel- and nuclear-powered vessels by 2012.

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My Comment: Political correctness running amok .... but I will concede that the search for alternative fuels and energy is a valid one, and one that may produce huge savings in the future (maybe).

Energy-From-Waste Powers US Army

The pyrolysis tube at the system's heart can consume 100kg of waste per hour

From The BBC:

A system that generates energy from rubbish is being sent by defence firm Qinetiq to the US army.

The PyTEC system heats mixed waste, releasing a gas that can be burned to produce five times more energy than is required to drive the system.

Qinetiq say that the system, already in use on British navy ship HMS Ocean, has been "containerised" for US army use.

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Navy Green: Military Investigates Biofuels To Power Its Ships And Planes

CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF?: The U.S. Navy has ordered more than 60,000 gallons of alternative fuels derived from weeds and algae--and hopes to power planes and ships with them in the near future. Courtesy of U.S. Navy

From Scientific American:

The U.S. Navy will begin testing biofuels from camelina and algae.

Ships powered by algae and planes flying on weeds: that's part of the future the U.S. Navy hopes to bring to fruition. This week, the seagoing branch of the military purchased 40,000 gallons of jet fuel derived from camelina—a weedy relative of canola—and 20,055 gallons of algae-derived diesellike fuel for ships.

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