tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61935535648450652072024-03-19T03:17:05.709-04:00The DOD Energy BlogTracking the US Military as it deals with Peak Oil and moves to new energy in the 21st century. Investigates solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, synthetic fuels, hybrids, energy efficiency and any/all other improvements to help make DOD less dependent on oil. For Green Hawks, energy tech researchers and anyone else who wants to see the Department of Defense survive and thrive during this period of great transition.
Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Research & DevelopmentAndy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.comBlogger583125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-16025953358962807062015-12-23T10:05:00.001-05:002015-12-23T10:05:38.487-05:002015 End of Year Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello new, old and ancient (no offense) DEB readers. Please accept my apologies for taking more than 12 months to add a new post when during the good old days (2008-2013) this was a weekly if not a daily endeavor. <br />
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This note doesn't signal a return to that former rhythm; rather, just want you to know I keep my eye on the blog's traffic stats and can confirm that people continue to find the material archived here and find it useful. So am certainly planning on maintaining the current site and who knows, may be able to restore it to its former pace and glory at some point. (Dan Nolan: I know you're out there !!!) BTW I am pretty active on Twitter these days and you can follow me at: <a href="https://twitter.com/andybochman">https://twitter.com/andybochman</a><br />
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Meanwhile ...<br />
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The opportunities I get to pursue as part of the DOE at the <a href="https://www.inl.gov/">Idaho National Lab</a> continue to amaze. Having served in the Air Force in my early days, and then in companies large, small and very small after that, I can say with confidence that nothing I've done before comes close to the national energy + security impact I'm now having. It's truly the most satisfying time in my work life and I hope you, if you've haven't had this feeling yet, will be able to at some point in your career.<br />
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The staggering scope of some of the problems we're tackling can overwhelm. The constraints can discourage. And the urgency with which we've got to set things right is not something many decision-makers yet understand.<br />
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If you're a part of keeping our nation safe at any level, be it Federal, State, local, critical infrastructure owner/operator, supplier, service provider, etc., I'll be happy to support you in any way I can. At a minimum, point you in potentially helpful directions or connect you with the right/best folks.<br />
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In the meantime, another year is about to be in the books. I've got lots of things to be thankful for, not the least of which are my family and the many incredible and like-minded people I work with and also call friends. I wish the best for you and yours and will be happy if our paths can cross in 2016, online, in the real world, or anywhere in between.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AB & Crew, Boston, Dec 2015</td></tr>
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<br />Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com43tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-32099748034695818322014-11-17T22:54:00.000-05:002014-11-17T22:54:53.836-05:00Energy Security Postscript and Next Chapter<i>Cross-posted from the Smart Grid Security Blog</i><br />
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Long-time readers of the SGSB might have wondered if they'd ever see another post. Me too. After producing an average of 1+ posts per week since its inception 5 years ago, I cut way back after leaving IBM in 2013 to give myself more time to focus on consulting. And now there's a new development to report.<br />
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4 month ago I shuttered my security strategy business and began my first day on the job at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). It's one of the Department of Energy's national labs, and it's the one most squarely positioned at the intersection of energy infrastructure and national security. Let's call that energy security.<br />
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My INL title: Senior Cyber & Energy Security Strategist - may sound a little pretentious, but it pretty accurately captures what I was hired to do. If you visit the <a href="https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=255&mode=2" target="_blank">lab's home page</a> or the <a href="https://twitter.com/INL" target="_blank">INL Twitter feed</a> it seems like nuclear energy research and related nuclear work are its dominant activities. But while nuclear energy research and fuels fabrication were its origin in the 1940's and its historic mission, with the help of its massive and remote test range that includes grid-scale transmission, distribution and communications assets, the lab I just joined does a ton of research and applied work on power and industrial control systems, Smart Grid and wireless communications, cyber and physical security and resilience, renewables, microgrids, energy storage and more.<br />
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Nuclear energy R&D, and full nuclear fuel lifecycle work (including non proliferation) will always be a significant part of that nation's requirements, and the INL mission, but nuclear energy is arguably the most reliable portion of our non fossil fuel baseload, but INL is quietly becoming something much more - and more important - than its nuclear legacy might suggest.<br />
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Without going into too much detail, the lab's customers now include not just DOE's nuclear energy organizations, but also DOE's renewables, resilience and cyber-physical security components too. DHS has become a major customer, as the lab hosts the ICS-CERT cyber security overwatch function for the US grid and other critical infrastructures, and performs other leading edge cyber and physical security roles as well. DoD is a very large customer too, for energy, security and communications test functions, rounded out by direct work with utilities and energy and telecom technology suppliers.<br />
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In short, INL in 2014 is not the lab many people think it is. While it's yet to update its image online, a visit to Idaho Falls quickly confirms that this is one of the nation's preeminent Energy Security lab resources. Nuclear energy is and likely always will be a key element, but without making much noise about it, INL has become so much more, and I'm very very lucky to be a part of it.<br />
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Postscript to the Postscript post: Though my blogs are in suspended animation, I continue to speak in public, and albeit more frequently and tersely, on Twitter @andybochman. As the Twitter profile reveals, I continue to work out of my home office in Boston while hitting the road most often for DC, and of course, now, Idaho.<br />
<br />Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-89631762141858255342014-07-02T15:00:00.004-04:002014-07-02T15:00:28.573-04:00Window Closing to Apply for Outanding DOD Energy Position<i>Maybe you got it too, but in case you didn't, this is just in from Ollie Fritz:</i><br /><br />There is a civilian job opportunity on the OEPP Policy team that I wanted to share with the defense energy community.<br /><br />Duties for this position include:<br /><ul>
<li>Develops and adapts and/or oversees policies and governance for the implementation of the Department of Defense (DoD) Operational Energy Strategy.</li>
<li>Leads task groups that convene Defense Components to assess operational energy challenges, develop Department wide recommendations and findings and synchronize policies.</li>
<li>Oversees policy and analyses regarding the role of energy in Combatant Command (CCMD) and Department security and international partnerships.</li>
<li>Coordinates with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Military Departments, CCMDs, and as needed foreign military organizations in support of exercises, technical cooperation, information sharing and bilateral/multilateral engagements related to energy.</li>
<li>Assists in the development and preparation of materials (posture statements, testimony and backup material) for use by senior DoD leadership in the presentations to Congress, Congressional Committees, Congressional Budget Office, and other external organizations.</li>
</ul>
You can find more details here: <a href="https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/374160900">https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/374160900</a>. The position is open to all US citizens and current Status candidates, and <b>applications are due by 11:59PM on Friday, 11 July.</b><br />.<div>
<i>If you have a good background for this, and you think you could make a difference, and you have a burning desire to make a difference, then you'd better throw your name in the hat ... and fast. Opportunities like this don't come around very often !!!</i></div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-37936863545984410262014-05-15T21:13:00.001-04:002014-05-15T21:13:10.601-04:00Energy Storage for DOD & IC Energy Security<span id="goog_1113168673"></span><span id="goog_1113168674"></span><br />
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<i>Try not to get greedy, but it looks like legendary but MIA DOD Energy blogger Dan Nolan has just emerged and offered up a tapas-sized post. Let's see how he does:</i><br />
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One of the nation’s mission critical facilities is going green or at least getting more energy secure. DOD has deployed 1.6MW of solid oxide fuel cells in support of undisclosed NSA facilities at Fort Meade, MD. The system, supplied by <a href="http://www.bloomenergy.com/">Bloom Energy</a> and installed by <a href="http://www.argo-sys.com/">ARGO Systems</a>, a Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), was announced yesterday. You can read the <a href="http://www.bloomenergy.com/newsroom/press-release-05-15-14/">press release</a> here.<br />
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In watching fuel cell development over the past decade, I was always told they were 5 years away, and had been for the last 15! Apparently, someone was able to figure out the value of energy security that is provided by a sustainable, reliable, and secure power generation system. I guess if you are running the servers that are processing EVERYTHING (according to Glenn Greenwald) maintaining energy security is important. As much battering as the good folks at the NSA have been taking, let me be the first to say, “Way to Go, Green!” - Dan NolanAndy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-1510864585045899152014-04-11T15:01:00.001-04:002014-04-11T15:01:07.511-04:00DOD Energy Tech Advance: NRL's Seawater-to-Fuel Alchemy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sorry, it's been a while, but this news echoed something a Navy friend in Idaho told me earlier this week and I was compelled to post. It's not about transmutation of lead into gold, it's not water into wine, rather it's something far more important to US and DOD operational energy assurance: a process to turn seawater into fuel for ships and aerial vehicles.<br />
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Here's a blurb from DOD's science blog (<i>bet you didn't know DOD had a science blog</i>):<br />
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The potential payoff, according to the Navy, is the ability to produce fuel stock at sea or in remote locations. Aside from being convenient – utilizing resources around you for an immediate need is a benefit that speaks for itself – this will reduce the logistics tail on fuel delivery with no environmental burden. This also increases the Navy’s energy security and independence.</blockquote>
Vice Admiral Phil Cullom, <a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/2009/10/navy-shows-smart-grid-leadership.html">no stranger to the DOD Energy Blog</a> comments on what drives research like this:<br />
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We need to reinvent how we create energy, how we value energy and how we consume energy.</blockquote>
Seems to me the NRL researchers are turning Cullom's aspirational words into a near-term reality. Great stuff. You can read the full post, including videos, <a href="http://science.dodlive.mil/2014/04/11/energy-independence-creating-fuel-from-sea-water/">HERE</a>.<br />
<br />Image credit: "The Alchemist" by David Teniers the Younger on Wikipaintings.org<br />Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-19056975532453923292014-03-24T08:28:00.000-04:002014-03-24T08:28:16.004-04:00Remembering DOD Energy Pioneer Steve SiegelScott Sklar shared a sad update with me this weekend on the untimely passing of his friend and DOD Energy colleague, Stephen Siegel:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For the last 15 years I have worked very closely with my friend and colleague Steve Siegel who worked for the Army Analysis Center and then had his own firm, the <a href="http://www.energyandsecurity.com/">Energy & Security Group</a>, run with his wife Judy. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Steve was a colleague for our early education seminar series we held for five years at National Defense University on renewable energy for senior military leaders. And Steve and I developed a renewable energy curricula aide for the DOD service academies and war colleges on how best to integrate the newer energy technologies into the DOE fabric of solutions. </blockquote>
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Steve passed away in his sleep this week. The reasons are not yet known. As one senior OSD official just e-mailed me, “Steve was one of the pioneers in developing methods and tools to quantify the cost of delivering fuel to forward locations and he used his network to help socialize the use of these tools within the Army.” </blockquote>
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As we all know, life is fragile. He was an important thought leader in integrating renewable and distributed energy options to meet the DOD mission. I will sure miss him.</blockquote>
Thank you Scott. This blog has been following and lauding <a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/search?q=siegel">Steve's work since 2009</a>, including a post that said, "Google for 'Steve Siegel' and FBCF (fully burdened cost of fuel) and you get a FBCF goldmine."<br />
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And thank you Steve, for all you did to advance our thinking over the years on these critical energy and security topics. ab</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-51676120637317214712014-03-21T09:56:00.001-04:002014-10-01T06:39:57.041-04:00SPIDERS Secure Microgrid Industry Show & Tell Coming Up<div>
Army energy wizard and acting branch chief Harold Sanborn, who's had his hands on SPIDERS since day one, will be there. So will my fellow Zoomie Stuart McCafferty, CEO of <a href="http://gridintellect.com/">GridIntellect</a>, who's been <a href="http://www.smartgridnews.com/artman/publish/Delivery_Microgrids/The-top-five-microgrid-customer-benefits-6361.html">sharing his vast microgrid expertise</a> recently on SmartGridNews.com. I'd also expect engineers from Burns McDonnell, who've been integral to SPIDERS success, to be in attendance.</div>
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Here are the basics for you:<br />
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It's called, somewhat verbosely: "The Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) Industry Day"<br />
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<b>Date/Time: </b><br />
22 April 2014, 0800-1330<br />
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<b>Location: </b><br />
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Fort Carson McMahon Theater<br />
1517 McDonald Ave<br />
Fort Carson, CO (south side of Colorado Springs)<br />
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<b>Official Description: </b><br />
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Hosted by the U.S. Northern Command, JCTD Industry Day will focus on sharing the lessons learned and results of the Phase 2 Operational Demonstration performed at Fort Carson with the public sector and partner agencies.<br />
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This event is open to all stakeholders with an interest in the development of secure microgrids, ranging from policy and regulatory bodies and equipment vendors to those tasked with the development of standards and specifications and utilities that will be interconnecting with these microgrids.<br />
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<b>Highlights</b><br />
<ul>
<li>SPIDERS Technical Report</li>
<li>V2G solutions and technical and acquisition evolution from Phase 1</li>
<li>Microgid Cyber Security: Critical Elements, Requirements and Controls</li>
<li>Transitioning SPIDERS JCTD to Industry and Military</li>
<li>Cyber Experimentation Report</li>
<li>Phase 3 & Future Plans Post-SPIDERS JCTD</li>
<li>Tours of Ft. Carson Microgrid while under Red Team Cyber Attack</li>
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<b>Link for More Info and to Register</b></div>
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http://energy.gov/eere/femp/articles/register-attend-spiders-joint-capability-technology-demonstration-industry-day</div>
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Hope you can make it. ab</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-58217959793618185922014-02-12T15:24:00.002-05:002014-02-12T15:25:00.199-05:00Operational Base Energy Smarts Finally Emerging - BigtimeI few weeks ago I posted on "<a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/2014/02/hybrid-hopes-for-greatly-reducing.html">Hybrid Hopes for Greatly Reducing Operational Base Fuel Requirements</a>"<br />
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Since then, two more things have come my way. One was a note from DOD Energy friend and guru Scott Sklar of the DC-based <a href="http://thestellagroupltd.com/">Stella Group</a>, who wrote thusly: </div>
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I asked energy integrator <a href="http://www.milspray.com/">MILSPRAY</a> to bring the unit (mentioned in the post above) to Arlington two weeks ago for the military folks from the different services to 'kick the tires'. This unit powered the corrosion facility (MCRF) in Quantico, VA from July - October (14 weeks) last year and the fuel savings versus a standard generator was 78.6% (wow), and the the same set-up at 29 Palms, CA. I am beginning to see better-engineered systems that can stand-alone or interact with on-site diesel generators seamlessly.</blockquote>
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This is heavy duty news coming from Scott.<br />
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Also just received the DOE's Smart and Green Energy (SAGE) for Basecamps final report and it aligns quite nicely with the observations from the previous post. You can read the full document <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B83Q27_xggOTOGRTRS1KclpJZGc/edit?usp=sharing">HERE</a>, but just below you'll find the most important bits in summary form.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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<b>SAGE: 5 Conclusions</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Significant energy savings is readily achievable through deploying two kinds of technologies: a. technologies to reduce the energy demand (e.g., insulated shelters, building controls) b. technologies to improve the efficiency of electricity generation (e.g., microgrids, renewable energy). </li>
<li>A combination of energy conservation measures, renewable energy sources, and a smart microgrid can reduce base camp energy consumption by 49%–84% depending on camp size and location. Smart microgrids with energy storage systems supply power with improved voltage and frequency stability, increased grid reliability and longer life of end-use equipment. If microgrids are not possible, right-sizing of existing spot generation has the potential to save significant amounts of fuel annually. </li>
<li>Renewable energy systems can reduce base camp energy demand and fuel use. They can be reliably integrated into smart base camp microgrids without harming grid stability or degrading the output of the renewable source. A combination of spot generation with renewable energy sources is generally not recommended.</li>
<li>A properly sized solar hot water (SHW) heating system can supply a significant fraction of a base camp’s water heating requirements using solar energy, thereby saving fuel over standard water heating configurations. </li>
<li>A base camp energy management system, equipped with real-time monitoring and control of base parameters, enables central and informed decision making without overburdening the operator with information. Configurable automatic load shedding provides potential for reducing camp energy consumption for normal operations and for unplanned events. </li>
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<b>SAGE: 5 Recommendations</b><br />
<ol>
<li>Replace spot generation systems with properly sized power generators that are integrated with smart microgrids. When appropriate, include an energy storage system and a base camp energy management system. When a microgrid is not initially feasible, correctly size the spot generators to meet the actual loads. </li>
<li>Replace poorly or un-insulated tents with insulated, energy efficient shelters featuring right- sized high-efficiency ECUs. Add insulation to uninsulated shelters such as wood-framed or concrete block shelters. Include remotely controllable circuits and integration with a base camp energy management system. </li>
<li>Install a well-designed and right-sized sized SHW system in camps with suitable conditions (e.g., expensive energy, remote areas, strong solar resource, high-volume water heating requirements, etc.). </li>
<li>Implement a base camp energy management system that features remote control capability of electric loads, reporting, and decision support and can feature automated load reduction schemes. </li>
<li>Implement right-sized renewable energy sources suitable for the base camp climate conditions and make sure the renewable energy system can integrate into a microgrid and base camp energy management system. </li>
</ol>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-62392258665819502462014-02-05T08:45:00.001-05:002014-02-05T08:45:55.014-05:00Hybrid Hopes for Greatly Reducing Operational Base Fuel RequirementsSounds like a microgrid disguised as a generator. See what you think:<br />
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Today, the U.S. military powers its operating bases with diesel generators that run continuously. The problem is that it’s difficult to match the generating capacity with the actual power load from air conditioners, electronics, and other gear, which fluctuates during the day and in different seasons. And when the demand for power is lower than the generator’s full capacity, the fuel efficiency drops off dramatically and the maintenance increases.</blockquote>
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Earl Energy’s FlexGen “hybrid generator” is wired to a diesel generator running at full capacity, which is how it's most efficient. When there is excess power, the diesel generator charges the batteries. If the batteries have enough stored energy to meet the demand for electricity, then the generator shuts off. In tests in Afghanistan, the Earl Energy system allowed the generators to run three to six hours a day, compared with around the clock before it was installed, says Doug Moorehead, the CEO of Earl Energy.</blockquote>
Often in stories like these there's a rub. But if those real-world results from Afghanistan were achieved without any many compromises, then this is clearly a big win in an area we've made almost no progress for decades. Will be keeping an eye on Moorehead and Earl Energy for sure.<br />
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Full IEEE Spectrum article: <a href="http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/aerospace/military/hybrid-generator-would-cut-military-base-fuel-costs-in-half">HERE</a>.</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-36850159004364256252014-01-23T20:51:00.001-05:002014-01-23T20:51:45.792-05:00Announcing a Blogging Slowdown as a New Energy and Security Business is Born<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dear Reader,<br />
<br />
You may have noticed the number of posts has tapered off lately on the DOD Energy Blog. I've got to tell you that it's not from lack of interest or diminished activity in our space ... far from it.<br />
<br />
Rather, since I departed IBM last September I've been working overtime putting my consulting business together. I've now reached the point where my focus is set, my offerings are defined, and my first partners and customers have emerged.<br />
<br />
That means the taxiing period is over and it's time to push the throttle all the way forward and lift off ... hence, less blogging here, at least for a while.<br />
<br />
The new business is called Bochman Advisors, and as you'll see when you visit the <a href="http://www.bochmanadvisors.com/" target="_blank">NEW SITE</a> I just built, it immediately identifies its focus as "Strategic security consulting for the energy sector". So far, this is working out as helping security companies get smarter on energy matters, and energy companies do better with security.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
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Because a blog is built into the site, I'm going to pull in a few posts I've previously published and then start a fresh run there. This means the DOD Energy blog (as well as the Smart Grid Security blog) will continue to be accessible as archives, but that they'll be relatively quiet in terms of new material, at least in the first half of 2014.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, I'm speaking in front of energy-oriented lawyers tomorrow, will be making the rounds (and warming up a bit) at Distributech in San Antonio next week, and speaking in DC and elsewhere throughout the rest of winter and spring. I've got these things posted on the News & Events page, btw, and will try to keep that updated.<br />
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I've also become a fairly active person on Twitter, where I simply use my name as my ID, so that's <a href="https://twitter.com/andybochman" target="_blank">@andybochman</a>. If that medium is new to you, you should know I learn an incredible amount there, and have met some of the most interesting and helpful energy and security people people on Twitter over the past year or so.</div>
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OK, that's all I've got for now. Hope this epistolary post finds you warm and well, and I'd be very happy to see you over at the Bochman Advisors blog sometime if you choose to stop by. </div>
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Yours truly, Andy</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-28497825949682446482014-01-16T15:49:00.002-05:002014-01-16T15:49:11.454-05:00How to Make a Microgrid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKORy167cRYLS98nvYb16TaZNZnx_oY_Uv-7cjE_xHMz3kga64ja8d1KEFvHmRv_9GyIlURpJtCc4jBNeqlsiOULT4lJnwaaL0BNO32UQOc9YNddUGKR7gBrUK5r3Q0W1OL30P2aUXbMY/s1600/Energy_MicroGrid2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKORy167cRYLS98nvYb16TaZNZnx_oY_Uv-7cjE_xHMz3kga64ja8d1KEFvHmRv_9GyIlURpJtCc4jBNeqlsiOULT4lJnwaaL0BNO32UQOc9YNddUGKR7gBrUK5r3Q0W1OL30P2aUXbMY/s1600/Energy_MicroGrid2.jpg" height="222" width="320" /></a></div>
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I've been reading about, sometimes writing about, and occasionally extolling the many virtues of microgrids for some time now. I even remember when, shortly after starting this blog, I was at a DOD energy gathering at NDU in 2008 or 2009 I think. <br />
<br />
This perky bald guy in the row behind me said, kind of like in the movie The Graduate: "the future is microgrids." I could be wrong, but I believe that hairless wonder was Army O-6 and future DOD Energy Blogger Dan Nolan himself. (I'll get my fact checker on that just in case.)<br />
<br />
Since then we've copiously covered the SPIDERS program, as well as the great secure microgrid work at Naval District Washington.<br />
<br />Flash forward to yesterday when I came across Stuart McCafferty's "Top 6 Things to Consider When Developing Microgrids." The title says 6 but altogether it's more like 50 or 60 questions - born of his hands-on project management experience - you need to answer before moving forward.<br /><br />Out of all of them the first two resonate the strongest with me:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mission: What is the organization’s mission? How will a Microgrid help support the mission?</blockquote>
If your reasons for building a microgrid aren't directly related to supporting the mission, then what the heck are you doing? Everyone's free to <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/gadgets/solar-microgrid-box-only-3-feet-wide.html">build their own microgrid</a> after work on their own dime, but if you're building one at a DOD installation, then the connection to mission support has got to be a solid and not a dotted line.<br /><div>
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After that the rest of the questions are about everything you need to think about beforehand to do it right. For the full article click <a href="http://gridintellect.com/2014/01/top-6-things-to-consider-when-developing-microgrids/">HERE</a>.<br />
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And by the way, here's a piece on an early stage USMC <a href="http://www.marines.mil/News/tabid/3250/Article/157012/energy-assurance-only-a-microgrid-away.aspx">microgrid project at Miramar Air Station</a> in San Diego, where energy assurance is the major mission driver.<br />
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Image courtesy of National Defense Magazine</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-29829540141427283742014-01-15T12:45:00.003-05:002014-01-15T12:45:43.753-05:00You're Invited to DOD "Power Surge" Energy Security WebinarI have a one-time special good deal for you, DEB aficionados. You are cordially invited to a briefing announcing the research findings from:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Power Surge: How the Department of Defense Leverages Private Resources to Enhance Energy Security and Save Money on U.S. Military Bases</span></div>
<br /> <br />Date: this Thursday, January 16, 2014<br />Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. EST<br />Access: Click <a href="https://pewtrusts.webex.com/pewtrusts/onstage/g.php?d=636286510&t=a">here</a> to log into the webinar<div>
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Event Overview:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Deployment of clean energy technologies is accelerating across military installations operated by the U.S. Department of Defense, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts. Pew’s new report, “Power Surge,” examines how the military is using private-sector capabilities and harnessing innovative financing to obtain advanced energy systems. These projects are helping the Pentagon enhance mission assurance, save money, and meet congressional and executive branch requirements. The briefing will review the military’s progress on meetings its renewable energy and efficiency goals and how it’s funding the initiatives. The report will be available online starting 16 Jan 2014 at <a href="http://www.pewtrusts.org/energysecurity">www.pewtrusts.org/energysecurity</a>.</blockquote>
Presenters:<br /><ul>
<li>Phyllis Cuttino, director, clean energy program, The Pew Charitable Trusts</li>
<li>Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary for the Army, energy and installations</li>
<li>Scott Provinse, director of government programs, Sun Edison</li>
<li>John Warner, former U.S. senator and secretary of the U.S. Navy, and senior adviser to the Pew project on national security, energy, and climate</li>
</ul>
I'll be online, and hope you can make it too! ab<br /><div>
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<i>BTW, if the direct link does not work, go to <a href="http://www.webex.com/">www.webex.com</a> and enter:<br />Meeting Number: 636 286 510, Password: Clean123</i></div>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-328232365117051692014-01-14T11:41:00.001-05:002014-01-14T11:41:01.720-05:00RFI Alert: USMC Tactical Energy Generation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've posted on the great work of the Marines exFOB <a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/search?q=exFOB">many times</a> before, and I'm happy to be doing so once again to kick off 2014. <br /><br />There's an RFI out for submissions on "Tactical Energy Harvesting," but rather than siphoning off watts from dormant humans encased in glass cocoons, the Marines want to leverage a fraction of the energy already generated by able bodied soldiers in motion. And there's another element related to capturing waste heat from generators.<br /><br />
<u>Response due date is 21 February 2014</u>. I'd expect the good folks down the street from me in Natick to have some ideas up their sleeves on this, but I know there are many other sources for thinking along these lines as well.<br /><br />For more details on this solicitation click <a href="https://www.fbo.gov/?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=2085bc41aa6eacbf458fd2fc3e270b69&_cview=0">HERE</a>.<br /><br />Photo credit: Extremetech.comAndy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-37649954202626062042013-12-10T20:30:00.002-05:002013-12-10T20:30:34.784-05:00The Energy KPP now Crawls, no Running Yet, but Considers WalkingThe concept of a key performance parameter (KPP) or metric for Energy goes back to the two DSB Reports on Energy in 2001 and 2008 and by 2009 it made it to the NDAA.<br />
<br />
This blogger has been writing about and advocating for measuring energy to better manage energy almost since its inception. I just searched for "KPP" and found maybe a couple of dozen posts, the first in <a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/2008/10/dod-gets-real-with-true-cost-of-fuel-in.html">Oct 2008</a>.<br />
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Seemed like it was going to take forever, but I'm happy to announce to readers who haven't gotten the news via other sources that the Energy KPP is most definitely alive and in motion. Consider this guidance excerpt OSD is passing to DOD Services:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Service performs macro analysis early in requirements process considering:</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<ul>
<li><i>CONOPS and OMS/MP </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Refueling assets (force structure) and capacity </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Frequency of refueling and % assets needed at one time </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Convoy distances (doctrine) and estimated travel times </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>RED action on BLUE logistics </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Attrition of refueling assets </i></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Security for refueling assets </i></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
Great stuff, right? Imagine the work involved in exploring the threat vectors to blue logistics and the motivation that would give you to get this thinking baked in early.<br />
<br />
Here's a link to a <a href="http://energy.defense.gov/Blog/tabid/2569/Article/7356/an-overview-of-the-energy-key-performance-parameter-kpp.aspx">one page overview</a> which includes a link to this somewhat jumbled <a href="http://energy.defense.gov/Portals/25/Documents/Blog/20131209_Energy_KPP_Overview.pdf">presentation</a>.<br />
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<br />Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-44972158599031585352013-12-06T11:58:00.000-05:002013-12-06T11:58:03.780-05:00Dr. Geiss Provides Best Definition of Energy Security<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Air Force DAS Energy's Kevin Geiss, in a recent panel discussion, made the case for improved and continued partnerships on energy with all of the DOD services.<br />
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Along the way, he took a turn at defining the most eternally-difficult-to-define term in our business:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Energy security is having the power when and where you need and in sufficient amounts to do the job and the ability to protect that and recover from any disruption. It's not just having the power but recognizing that there are risks.</blockquote>
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If I may use the word zeitgeist here, Geiss is in tune with our current one. In cyber security circles in 2013, when we weren't talking about Snowden and NSA, we were talking about resilience, and that's the special sauce he adds that makes it, in my mind, the strongest, most succinct definition yet.<br />
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Knowing that despite best plans and intentions, things are still going to go wrong and orgs need to be ready to respond and recover. And learn.<br />
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Article <a href="http://www.af.mil/News/ArticleDisplay/tabid/223/Article/467567/air-force-official-recommends-energy-partnerships.aspx">HERE</a>. And thanks for the hundredth time to OSD's Ollie Fritz (must buy him another beer at <a href="http://www.miracleofscience.us/">Miracle of Science</a> someday). <br />
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-15264747161790518332013-11-25T10:25:00.002-05:002013-11-25T10:25:58.847-05:00Sandia and Hayden on Cybersecurity Strategies for Micgrogrids<i>This DOD-relevant post comes to you courtesy of the good folks at the Smart Grid Security Blog.</i><div>
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First off, thanks to friend and colleague Ernie Hayden for writing a microgrid security post following his mini-immersion in the topic last week. You can read his write-up <a href="http://infrastructuresecuritytoday.blogspot.com/2013/11/microgrids-and-security-more-news.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InfrastructureSecurityBlog+%28Infrastructure+Security+Blog%29">HERE</a>.<br /><br />In particular, want you to see something he linked to: SNL's <a href="http://prod.sandia.gov/techlib/access-control.cgi/2013/135472.pdf">Microgrid Cybersecurity Reference Architecture</a>. That's Sandia National Labs, btw, not Saturday Night Live; talented though he is, Jimmy Fallon is not a contributor to this piece.<br /><br />Note: the microgrid concept described by Sandia is principally for energy security in DOD use cases, for emergency fall-back scenarios. Not necessarily for improving day-to-day operations or achieving efficiencies or cost savings, though you get some of those as part of this.<br /><br />An excerpt from the Executive Summary makes that concept clear:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
The design of a microgrid control system needs to be more robust than that of a traditional industrial control system (ICS) for the following reasons: </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
-- The microgrid is used in emergency situations and may be critical to continuity of operations of an installation</blockquote>
<blockquote>
-- The microgrid must function during active attack by a capable adversary.</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As such, the traditional design and implementation for an ICS may not be sufficient for implementing a robust and secure microgrid.</blockquote>
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Of course, there are an increasing number of non-military microgrid use cases and a burgeoning technology and integration market that supports them. But my guess is all those civilian applications should go to school on how Sandia and the DOD are hardening theirs, and select from among those approaches security that's right for their own risk tolerance objectives.</div>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-43319352157129716632013-11-21T21:36:00.000-05:002013-11-21T21:36:08.266-05:00Department of Veterans' Affairs a Solar Leader by Example<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After being introduced by a mutual friend in the energy business, I had the chance to speak with a representative of the VA last week and I came away with such a great impression of this most important of government organizations.<br /><br />I needn't tell you about the core mission of the VA and the central role it plays in much of what we hold near and dear as Americans: taking care of our bravest, most self-sacrificing citizens who've put themselves at great risk keeping the rest of us safe in an increasingly dangerous world.<div>
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But what I didn't know, and couldn't imagine on my own, was the massive scope of VA operations and built infrastructure. We're talking many thousands of buildings including more hospitals and other health facilities than any other organization in the country. Or the world. By a mile.<br /><br />The VA is doing remarkable things with solar energy, and increasingly, designing contracts that save the department money over time. You can read more about these efforts here <a href="http://www.green.va.gov/">HERE</a>.<br /><br />I challenge you to spend a few minutes with this <a href="http://www.green.va.gov/energy/renewable.asp">interactive map</a> and see if you can find a state or US territory that's not been touched by at least one VA clean-tech project. I don't think you'll find one.</div>
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Way to go, VA. Keep it up !!!</div>
<br />Photo: Reno VA Medical Center Outpatient ClinicAndy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-17057451552922907692013-11-04T11:11:00.002-05:002013-11-04T11:11:40.064-05:00The Energy Future Starting to Show UpThis is a very short post that may portend something big. Energy storage has been the Holy Grail for the renewables sector some time now, and likely will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless ...<div>
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Apparently, a Maryland-based company has teamed to produce the "first renewable energy storage system in the U.S. capable of not only storing generation when the sun's not shining, but also delivering power to the local electric grid."<br /><br />
Brief article is <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/konterra-solar-2013-11">HERE</a>. And re: operational energy and FOBs ... note how transportable this thing looks.<br />
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-15932950919323528332013-10-31T10:09:00.002-04:002013-10-31T10:09:40.140-04:00Happy Halloween DOD: Great Microgrid Primer from the SPIDERS team <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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DOD's Smart Power Infrastructure Demonstration for Energy Reliability and Security (SPIDERS microgrid program) prime integrator Burns & McDonnell has produced an outstanding white paper for anyone wanting to better understand the why's and how's of microgrids. <br />
<br />
Overall it's a great paper, but two parts jumped out at me immediately for their value to decision makers. Here you go, the first is from a section on mission drivers:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
By allowing multiple generation assets to provide power for a common load, microgrids greatly increase both the reliability of power and its efficiency of generation. Typically, the greatest beneficiaries of microgrids are customers with large, mission critical facilities or large power consumers in areas prone to frequent and/or prolonged outages (e.g. hurricane zones). Although facilities like these have utilized on site generation in the past, they are starting to migrate towards microgrids due to the many examples of single generators failing during prolonged outages thereby leaving the entire mission in jeopardy.<a name='more'></a></blockquote>
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Unless you absolutely have no choice, you never want to bet the farm on a single generator, but until now there's been little choice. SPIDERS has gone from an aspiration in the minds of the Defense Science Board (2001, 2008) to reality in 2013. See these before and after results reported by Burns:</div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Prior to SPIDERS, critical loads were individually served by isolated generators which were oversized for the normal load, and thus ran inefficiently. Also, renewable energy assets such as PV arrays were of no value upon loss of utility power. When connected to the microgrid, generators are decoupled from their individual loads allowing a single generator to serve multiple loads and allowing the PV to support the loads. Under operation of the SPIDERS microgrid, critical loads were served continuously during<br />a 3‐day simulated power outage and testing indicated that the system served the loads using 30% less diesel fuel by operating fewer generators at more efficient points and by integrating renewables into the power island. </blockquote>
Think: Nellis AFB's 14.1 MW solar installation, an Air Force renewables showcase, that's of exactly zero use if/when the local power fails. It's only wired to shoot electrons into the off-base grid. </div>
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My 2 centavos: All DOD renewables should be deployed in microgrid configurations from now on. It should become the rule, not the exception.<br /><br />You can (and should) read the full paper (<a href="http://www.burnsmcd.com/Resource_/PressRelease/2894/FileUpload/White-Paper-Microgrid-Effects-Opportunities-for-Utilities-031113.pdf">HERE</a>).</div>
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Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sandcastlematt/">Matt from Somerville</a> on Flickr.com</div>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-88163957093975474592013-10-15T09:32:00.000-04:002013-10-15T09:32:17.536-04:00Time for a US Oil Change?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyhL4vTYN4VYerFSEdKfkoQzbYyh05FXT24-pK9lXuGRSN2ImDyHgUPjtyKabByOTUq5mFrW8nHRV3CLeka_64YbUlDMh8yc-eflAo7p18huEew1z5TsEn3xU-udzfHUisQcOrCoqeDA/s1600/US_Navy_060318-N-7526R-154_Amphibious_command_ship_USS_Blue_Ridge_(LCC_19)_Sailors_look_on_as_a_refueling_probe_crosses_over_the_South_China_Sea,_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyhL4vTYN4VYerFSEdKfkoQzbYyh05FXT24-pK9lXuGRSN2ImDyHgUPjtyKabByOTUq5mFrW8nHRV3CLeka_64YbUlDMh8yc-eflAo7p18huEew1z5TsEn3xU-udzfHUisQcOrCoqeDA/s320/US_Navy_060318-N-7526R-154_Amphibious_command_ship_USS_Blue_Ridge_(LCC_19)_Sailors_look_on_as_a_refueling_probe_crosses_over_the_South_China_Sea,_.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underway replenishment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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On the heals of last week's post on China surpassing the US to become the biggest importer, two recent articles ponder oil's place in our world, particularly in light of how it was used as a weapon against the US during the Arab-Israeli War. <br />
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The first, <a href="http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-10-11/opinions/42930498_1_oil-weapon-zaki-yamani-barrel">Does OPEC Still have the US over a Barrel?</a> brings the events of those days back vividly. If you're old enough, this will conjure up a scary memory. If you're young enough, this may sound like a Tom Clancy (RIP) novel, but it was far too real for those managing the crisis in 1973:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I’m sitting at my desk at the Pentagon,” recalls James Schlesinger, then secretary of defense, “and a cable comes in, and it reads: ‘In accordance with the orders of His Majesty, we are obliged to cut off all oil supplies to your 6th Fleet and to your forces in western Europe. Signed [Saudi oil minister] Zaki Yamani.’ ”</blockquote>
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<a name='more'></a>And too real for the man on the street. In the US gas rationing went into immediate effect, around the country lines at stations were huge and you could only get gas every other day depending on whether you had an odd or even license plate. Fast forward 30 years and though we've made huge advanced in energy efficiency, according to the article, we now import 2.6 times as much oil as we did in 1973. The article continues:<br />
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We pay dearly for it, which was one of OPEC’s objectives. The inflation-adjusted price of crude oil now is more than twice as high as it was after the five-month embargo, and money continues to flood the coffers of oil-exporting countries. With consumption surging in China, India and the Middle East itself, oil markets are tight, with little spare capacity.</blockquote>
Let's hear from Daniel Yergin, without doubt the most authoritative energy expert in the world, on how the polarity has shifted in the Middle east since the pre embargo days. From a recent op-ed on the topic at hand:<br />
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There will be future energy disruptions because there is still much political risk around oil. In 2013, the Middle East is still in turmoil, but the alignments are different. In 1973, Iran was one of America's strongest allies in the Middle East. Tehran didn't participate in the embargo and pushed oil into the market. But since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Washington and Tehran have been adversaries. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, which was at the center of the 1973 embargo, is now America's strongest Arab ally.</blockquote>
The second piece, <a href="http://www.nationaljournal.com/magazine/why-the-energy-boom-won-t-make-america-into-the-new-opec-20131010?mrefid=mostread">Why the Energy Boom won't make the US a New OPEC</a> pursues the idea that if we're now loaded with our own indigenous oil and gas, can we use them to enhance our geopolitical muscle in an OPEC-like fashion. The article describes how, as offense, we are already using these assets to improve our hand in international negotiations of all kinds.<br />
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But from a defensive position, it claims our new strength doesn't provide as much protection as some would hope:<br />
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There's one thing the new oil and gas supplies can't do: insulate Americans against a price spike in the case of a major disruption. Were the Arab oil embargo to happen today, the U.S. would have access to its own oil supply, but the price shocks would nonetheless reverberate around the globe, hurting all economies—including this one. That's because, the country still can't go it alone despite the boom in domestic production: In 2005, the U.S. imported 60 percent of its oil; today, that's down to 40 percent. Nevertheless, America is still nowhere close to producing as much energy as it uses.</blockquote>
Now the IMHO part to close. For now, for the DOD, unless and until something changes: full steam ahead on maximizing energy efficiency for installations, at Forward Operating Bases (FOBs) and everywhere in between, particular in the air and on the seas. And for the country, keep building our domestic supply, and keep those those MPG ratings going ever higher. ab<br />
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Photo credit: WikimediaAndy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-43056468222701104772013-10-11T10:34:00.001-04:002013-10-11T16:36:29.846-04:00Major Oil Market Shift of Colossal Importance to DOD and DOD Energy PlannersFrom this morning's WSJ. You don't need my help to quickly understand how the shift described below will impact US and DOD policymakers in the years ahead.<br />
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The article is titled: <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324755104579073283948517714.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories">Middle East Oil Fuels Fresh China-U.S. Tensions</a> and here's an excerpt that boils is down to the essence:<br />
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The turnabout has added to tensions because it leaves the U.S. military securing China's growing oil shipments in the region at a time Beijing resists U.S. pressure on it to back American foreign policy in the Middle East.</blockquote>
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For years, China and other oil-consuming nations have benefited as Washington spent billions of dollars a year to police choke points like the Strait of Hormuz and other volatile parts of the Middle East to ensure oil flowed around the globe. </blockquote>
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<a name='more'></a>But the rise of North America's shale oil and gas industry has put the U.S. on track to pass Russia this year as the world's largest combined producer of oil and gas, if it hasn't done so already, according to a recent analysis of global data by The Wall Street Journal. </blockquote>
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That rise, combined with flat U.S. oil consumption, is making America far less dependent on imported oil, including from the Middle East, even as China's reliance on the region's oil grows.</blockquote>
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<a href="http://www.ted.com/speakers/thomas_barnett.html">Thomas Barnett</a> has been predicting a bigger role for China in the Middle East for years. We're going to have to not be threatened by it. Increasingly, it's their oil now. We can't disengage from the Middle East. But with our energy needs being met increasingly by domestic supplies, DoD's got other fish to fry besides protecting oil routes for those who can and should be doing more.</div>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-36820692020553122012013-10-08T21:39:00.001-04:002013-10-08T21:44:01.593-04:00DOD Energy Follies Part 2: Middies, Zoomies, and Toilets in the Desert<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFvxen6QXmfsQazwTK-Jfzc3CMy2XIvS1-08MwnZw7aIAlksmtQcFPQJ4Yd2VeiCUFlMS-iWrWzvCUusPDql3nzRSHuE6g9PeRNwAdRYCmAAgG9KkdGezoyzPasovyNC7Fef4i9N6E5w/s1600/CameraZOOM-20131005124118509.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFvxen6QXmfsQazwTK-Jfzc3CMy2XIvS1-08MwnZw7aIAlksmtQcFPQJ4Yd2VeiCUFlMS-iWrWzvCUusPDql3nzRSHuE6g9PeRNwAdRYCmAAgG9KkdGezoyzPasovyNC7Fef4i9N6E5w/s320/CameraZOOM-20131005124118509.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Inside the Middie Dome</td></tr>
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OK, I don't want to spend much more time on follies. Would much rather accentuate the positive. But based on feedback to the <a href="http://dodenergy.blogspot.com/2013/10/and-now-for-something-completely.html">previous follies post</a>, looks like one more is in order.<br />
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The most glaring contribution this week, pun intended, came from the Navy again, which for some reason decided to keep its stadium lights all the way on for Saturday's game vs USAFA. In the face of sequestration and the teeth of the partial government shutdown, the Air Force barely had the funds to get its folks to Annapolis. The Navy, it seems, had money (and watts) to burn.<br />
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Another contributor wanted to point out the lengths to which the Army will go to turn bases into Net Zero installations. This recent citation comes fr<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Consolas;">om the US Army Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment AKO </span><a href="http://www.army.mil/article/108160/Vicenza_garrison_installs_smart_lights_on_track_to_Net_Zero/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Consolas;">webpage</a><span style="font-family: Consolas;">:</span><br />
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Vicenza, Italy substituted 247 light poles supporting 494 old style metal halide lamp fixtures with 357 LED light fixtures, ranging from 24 to 48 watts. The project is being completed at a cost of $843,000.</blockquote>
The contributor did some math and calculated an ROI of 28.1 years. I'm not sure what the right target ROI is to greenlight a project, but we all know shorter is better, and that to me 28 years sounds a little long. But if you follow the link you'll find other cost savings and benefits that make the project seem less follie-like.<br />
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Ok, time to get the Marines involved, and in order to do so, we're going to have to talk about water more than energy, though you're free to infer the energy ramifications of this. This contributor chimed in thusly:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I attended EXFOB 2011 at 29 Palms on behalf of the UK MoD to see how the USMC were going about their reduction of fossil fuel consumption. 29 Palms is over 900 square miles, with no natural water present anywhere. Pretty much every Marine passes through there prior to deployment. It is a busy place. I clearly remember standing at one of the American Standard urinals which was labelled as a gallon per flush. [Imagine] the cost and effort to pump, clean, store and dispose of that much water (when waterless urinals are available) in a vast and arid desert. It just struck me as an indicator that the bigger picture was not being seen.</blockquote>
Definitely sounds like an opportunity to me, and I bet the ROI math would work out even better than the Vicenza example.<br />
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Sorry I don't have anything ready with which to skewer the Air Force. You might think that's because I'm a former Zoomie, but I assure you I wouldn't hesitate to call out energy missteps or misdeeds. OK, well, do a little research and you may find some items of interest pertaining to the 6 Megawatt solar installation at the Blue Zoo. That's all I'm going to say.<br />
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Lastly, we have my friend in Paris, Dr. Sohbet Karbuz. A former International Energy Agency (IEA) analyst, Dr. K knows more than anyone about what DOD's done right (and for the purposes of this post, done wrong) in the fields of energy modernization, diversification, efficiency and security. You can follow his work on his blog, <a href="http://karbuz.blogspot.com/">HERE</a>.<br />
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<br />Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-18377353864958640032013-10-04T08:44:00.000-04:002013-10-04T08:45:36.145-04:00And Now for Something Completely Different: Navy Energy Follies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEgsuTns9WDoEwM5lCarPrq7I_PTa307esXtbLz-1h2MofA-1OsjVQ0X5TdkkdKO1X_kiTsQKcDTYvrQ8HdEU8O3-jykHcJFKjFD5cOf85x6YShYa8EqdMA7C3u6ESYBAEPpIUbrzYrM/s1600/NavyCoffeeMug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGEgsuTns9WDoEwM5lCarPrq7I_PTa307esXtbLz-1h2MofA-1OsjVQ0X5TdkkdKO1X_kiTsQKcDTYvrQ8HdEU8O3-jykHcJFKjFD5cOf85x6YShYa8EqdMA7C3u6ESYBAEPpIUbrzYrM/s1600/NavyCoffeeMug.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>The DOD Energy Blog is loaded with posts documenting many cases of USN's forward-thinking energy savings strategies and actions. Now it's time to be fair and balanced. The stories you are about to hear are true (I'm pretty sure). Some of the names have been changed to protect the innocent. The sources of these anecdotes are in the witness protection program.</i><br />
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The <a href="http://www.cnic.navy.mil/">Commander Navy Installations Command</a> (CNIC) has implemented an energy savings policy that rewards program managers to implement game-changing energy conservation measures like:<br />
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<li>No charging of phones or other PDA’s is allowed in work spaces. (Where outdoor outlets are available, you can charge devices during smoke breaks)</li>
<li>Only one coffee pot per building (depending on building size, this could cause catastrophic crew and other employee readiness failures)</li>
<li>No air conditioning until it reaches 75F + in the barbershop (resulting in sweaty heads that reduce buzzer and clipper effectiveness)</li>
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With these changes in full effect, US and DOD energy autonomy is clearly within reach. Ahem.<br />
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Meanwhile, maintenance lapses have allegedly produced highly sub-optimal situations like this:<br />
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<li>Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) Catsup's heating system is full on during the winter (5+ years now), requiring the outside doors to be open with large fans blowing in cold air to cool the room. (No wonder ice bergs are melting)</li>
<li>There are no low flow shower heads on various Navy Gateway Inns (BOQ’s) / Recreational facility showers. (They're still waiting for DARPA and ONR and to clear the technology)</li>
<li>Fan Coil units in some Navy Gateway Inns are manually controlled and operate 24/7 for cooling/heating (if not shut off by occupants, non-occupants or spectral beings)</li>
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<i>If any readers know better, or know more, I'll be happy to revise this post or draft a followup. We now return to the normally uplifting DOD Energy Blog, in progress since 2008.</i>Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-83714894077796299462013-10-02T16:01:00.000-04:002013-10-03T05:26:42.061-04:00USN: "Save Energy Unless You Can't"Hat tip to CAPT Jim Goudreau, Dir Navy Energy Coordination Office, for the heads-up on this brief article and apologies for the latency in getting it posted.<br />
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The Navy continues to be active in tuning its policies to more fully account for the operational constraints of fuel dependency and the wins that can be derived from more energy efficient systems and energy conserving behaviors.</div>
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From the official "Navy Live" blog:<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">The key ... is that energy-saving practices must evolve from “Save energy when you can” to “Save energy unless you can’t.” </span></b>Institutionalizing and codifying energy savings throughout the fleet will enable us to continue meeting our national defense mission and fulfilling combatant commander requirements, while conserving vital energy resources and conserving scarce defense dollars that the Navy can apply to other priorities, such as maintenance and modernization. </blockquote>
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Short, sweet, and comprehensively applicable to all manner of lifecycle and strategy considerations. You can read the whole post <a href="http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/08/08/energy-efficiencies-enhance-combat-capability/" target="_blank">HERE</a>.</div>
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Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6193553564845065207.post-10016962513704524822013-09-23T12:49:00.004-04:002013-09-23T12:49:51.621-04:00Geiss on Air Force Energy Progress - Sep 2013 Update<i>Hat tip to OSD's Ollie Fritz again (and again).</i><br /><br />Straight up, here are highlights from an interview with Dr Kevin Geiss, DASAF for Energy, from a recent article: "<a href="http://www.airforcetimes.com/article/20130922/NEWS04/309220006/A-more-fuel-efficient-Air-Force" target="_blank">A more fuel-efficient Air Force</a>"<div>
<br />Eighty-four percent of the Air Force’s annual $9 billion energy budget pays for jet fuel, and of that 60 percent is for 900 mobility flights per day moving cargo and people.<br /><br />Even though the service has no control over fuel costs or the missions it is called to serve, it aims to “get better [energy efficiency] at every flight,” says Kevin Geiss, deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy.<br /><br />Dr. Geiss outlined some of the service’s energy-saving efforts in a recent interview:<a name='more'></a><br /><br /><b>Energy analysis task force</b><br />It’s the job of 19 reservists, who are private-sector pilots, civil engineers and other experts, to field-test industry best practices for adoption by the Air Force.<br /><br />One example: EATF testing showed a more fuel-efficient descent used by commercial pilots — a “flight idle descent” — can save 500 pounds of fuel, or almost $280 at today’s prices, every time a C-17 lands. Savings are far higher for a C-5. While the approach cannot be used in all landings, particularly tactical landings, it has been conducted into the Manas Transit Center, Kyrgyzstan, throughout 2013 and is due to be approved for Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, this year. The approach also has been approved for Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., and Travis Air Force Base, Calif., and is in the works for Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.<br /><br />“Previously, pilots at Manas were encouraged to delay their descents due to mountainous terrain; now they have a another reason to essentially glide to landing,” according to Geiss’ office.<br /><br /><b>More efficient KC-135 landings</b><br />When the aircraft got new engines in the 1980s, landing weight restrictions were unchanged. The planes continued to circle to burn off fuel to land carrying no more than 200,000 pounds. Recent EATF analysis showed the planes, with their better-performing engines, were capable of landing with up to 235,000 pounds. In August, instructions were changed to raise the landing weight restrictions, and that means millions of gallons of previously dumped fuel can be saved, Geiss said. The task force determined the change will save $1.2 million per year.<br /><br /><b>More research</b><br /><br />Air Mobility Command has ongoing studies to improve fuel efficiency. For example, the command is looking at how to optimize the center of gravity on aircraft. Optimization is important, Geiss said, because, as sensors and other new components are added to planes over time, the center of gravity changes, potentially increasing drag and reducing flying efficiency.<br /><br /><b>Alternative fuels</b><br /><br />The Air Force set a goal in 2007 and reaffirmed it in 2010 to be prepared to fly on 50-50 blends of traditional and alternative fuels by 2016. With certification of the fleet on both synthetic and biofuel blends, the Air Force considers this goal complete.<br /><br /><b>Making [and measuring] progress</b><br /><br />Since 2006, the Air Force has reduced its total aviation fuel consumption by 12.4 percent — exceeding its previous goal to reduce consumption across the entire fleet by 10 percent by 2015 based on a 2006 baseline. Since 2006, mobility air forces have cut the cost to move one ton of cargo one mile by 24 percent, from $1.56 to $1.18. The current goal is to improve aviation energy efficiency — mobility, combat and training — by 10 percent by 2020, based on a 2011 baseline.</div>
Andy Bochmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16597503314698812234noreply@blogger.com1