In an effort to facilitate the building of a large-scale renewable energy infrastructure, the US Army has taken up a long term initiative. Under the initiative, the Energy Initiatives Office (EIO) Task Force has been established at the GovEnergy Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, secretary of the army John M. McHugh announced in a recent press release.
Acting as a part of Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment, The EIO Task Force will be the central managing office for the development of large-scale Army renewable energy projects.
The EIO Task Force has been created to address various energy-related challenges that the army is currently facing. The body is expected to help army address rising energy security challenges, issues relating to escalating fuel prices, and stricter federal mandates.
EIO Task Force is scheduled to start its operations full scale by Sept. 15, 2011, the army revealed in the press release.
The Army requires huge capital to initiate large scale renewable energy production to ensure the nation’s energy independence. According to an estimate, for this Army would require an investment as big as $7.1billion over the next 10 years. This level of investment is expected to generate 2.1 million megawatt hours of power annually for the Army.
The EIO Task Force will work as an integral part of the Army to secure the capital and provide the expertise to execute the large-scale renewable and alternative energy projects on Army installations. The Task Force will provide resources focused on working with the private sector to execute large-scale renewable energy projects. This will increase the capital inflow from the project developers, the Army spokesperson expressed hope.
In a nutshell, the EIO Task Force is expected to act as a bridge between Army and private enterprises. The newly formed body plans to launch an aggressive outreach effort to attract and engage private industry to foster strategic and financial collaboration in support of the Army’s installation energy needs.
“The Energy Initiatives Office Task Force will help the Army build resilience through renewable energy while streamlining our business practices so developers can invest in and build an economically viable, large-scale renewable energy infrastructure. To meet a goal of 25 percent renewable energy by 2025, the Army must use every opportunity to be energy efficient and draw power from alternative and/or renewable energy sources,” McHugh said in a press release.
In an earlier press release, the US Army announced that in conjunction with Princeton Power Systems (PPS), it is going to participating in a field-deployed "microgrid" demonstration system. The project is part of the Army's larger groundbreaking initiative to lower fossil fuel consumption on the battlefield.
Madhubanti Rudra is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by
Rich Steeves
