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Because people are constantly attacking fuel convoys, the military are frantically looking for ways to promote more newer energy sources. Solar powered and energy conservers are important, and the marines are going to be the first ones to actually take them into battle. The gonverment has put renewable resources on hold because of recession but the military is speeding it back up. Fossil Fuels are becoming more and more of a liability, and as renewable resources are becoming less and less expensive its easier to put them in place. In Afghanistan fuel trucks are just sitting ducks for bombing and its becoming harder and harder just to try and protect them. By 2020 the plan is to have half of the Navy and Marine resources to come from renewable. "Fossil fuel accounts for 30 to 80 percent of the load in convoys into Afghanistan, bringing costs as well as risk. While the military buys gas for just over $1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400." Last year the Navy introduced the first hybrid vessal and the Air force will have their entire fleet carried out on biofuel by next year.
Questions:
1) Do you think what the military is doing is good?
2) If you were part of the military is this something you would put in place
3) How much is getting one gallon of gas to operating bases cost?
4) What year does the military plan to have 50% of their resources renewable?
Response: I'm so glad that someone has realized what they are doing and are really trying to change it. Though the change may have come from a nessesity rather than their own choices, but it still is a change in the right direction. I think this will really effect everyone in the right way, maybe have an influence on everyone that will change the world.
I think this is not really going to be a solution for the problems the military is having with getting energy because a lot of renewable energy sources have more limitations to their usage than burning fossil fuels does. This could be a huge inconvenience for the military, and could even the lives of soldiers who are put at risk if the energy is not available when they need it. The solar panels could over load the system or on a cloudy day might not provide enough energy. Wind and hydroelectric energy is expensive, and is not always a choice because the military has to have plants built to provide the energy before they can be used. .
ReplyDelete1. I think it is good to explore alternative energy sources, but I do not think it is a good choice for military spending because renewable energy still has many problems with its implementation.
2. I think it is good that the military is exploring ways to protect the soldiers in some way, but I do not think it is realistic because renewable energy has so many other limitations.
3. It costs $400 a gallon to get a gallon of gas that costs a dollar to some forward military bases.
4. By the year 2020 A.D.
I agree witth Dylan. Although this is a great way to conserve energy and save the enviroment i do not htink it is reliable enough for the military. I do believe i could work well for the Navy because they are out at see all day in the wide open sun, but the only problem is is that solar energy is not very reliable. It could be cloudy and rain and they would not be able to use this resource. If they were to use this source of energy they would have to have a back up source of energy like fossil fuels.
ReplyDelete1. I believe it is good for the enviroment but not reliable enough
2.No I would not because it is a very risky decision because it is not very realistic right now with the technology we have.
3.$1 a gallon, getting that gallon to some forward operating bases costs $400
4.2020
here is a icture of solar pannels at a military site
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/FOSSIL-JP-2-popup.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-10/us-military-aims-use-50-renewable-energy-within-ten-years&usg=__fDa9DzLo2fA-3t1VZO2I8p0NFok=&h=368&w=525&sz=52&hl=en&start=0&sig2=O-jO_xaaa8IfzIMkXxLsqQ&zoom=1&tbnid=QaVhjg9mxSHrbM:&tbnh=144&tbnw=192&ei=_rEKTYDYKoP-8AbH9qirBQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmilitary%2Busing%2Brenewable%2Bsources%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dsafari%26sa%3DN%26pwst%3D1%26rls%3Den%26biw%3D1270%26bih%3D598%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=693&vpy=85&dur=225&hovh=188&hovw=268&tx=188&ty=75&oei=_rEKTYDYKoP-8AbH9qirBQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=17&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:0
I agree with them also. The solar energy is not very reliable and what if they are going out in the middle of the night and doing stuff the solar energy does nto work in the dark. They should not be investing in something that is going to be working only some of the time, they need something that will be extremely reliable. That way they can get the job done.
ReplyDeleteQuestion:
What are they going to use in the dark, since solar energy dosen't work in the dark?