DOD-DOE 'Test Bed'

The Obama administration is touting joint demonstration projects between the Defense and Energy departments as a "test bed" for integrating renewable energy resources into the military and leveraging federal energy expertise to advance both DOD and national clean energy policy goals, Defense Environment Alert reports this week. Further:

The demonstration projects are part of an energy security initiative the Pentagon, separate branches of the military -- including the Navy as the largest contributor -- and five DOE national labs are participating in, according to the officials. The "Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security" (SPIDERS) projects are aimed at making military installations both self-sufficient "islands" apart from the commercial power grid while also enabling the bases to act as clean energy suppliers to the local grid.

Administration officials are framing the projects as measures within a broader push to advance clean energy technologies from the research and development (R&D) phase to commercialization, using DOD's sheer size to reduce the cost of the technologies through both deployment and increased scalability, according to the officials.

The clean energy technologies being eyed for advancement through the enhanced DOE-DOD collaboration include renewable resources, energy storage and lithium battery technologies, advanced vehicles and smart grid, according to officials and a DOE analysis detailing project goals.

Speaking at an April 26 White House event on the DOD-DOE joint energy strategy, DOE Deputy Secretary Daniel Poneman said the department has dispatched advisers to several military commands to help the branches advance their energy policy goals. Among the goals are the development of super-efficient "net-zero" energy buildings, advanced biofuels and so-called "drop-in" replacements for gasoline and diesel and smart grid deployment. The SPIDERS projects are a key piece in coordinating the development of these clean energy technologies to integrate and protect DOD's energy supplies, Poneman said.

A DOE spokesperson in an e-mail says the department "has energy advisers in the following commands: Central Command; Southern Command; European Command; and African Command. We will also be bringing on an energy adviser in the Pacific Command."

"These energy advisers serve as wide-ranging energy experts for the Commands, providing support to Command staff and leadership as various energy issues arise," says the spokesperson. "This can include providing expertise on energy infrastructure projects underway, operations planning, or implementing strategic energy objectives, among other things."

The SPIDERS demos are focused on developing more resilient and efficient electricity systems called "micro grids" for both generating and distributing electricity, said Poneman in his remarks at the forum. The projects will also put in place advanced metering and smart grid systems to protect the grid from cyber attack, according to DOE.