And Now for Something Completely Different: Navy Energy Follies

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.

The Commander Navy Installations Command (CNIC) has implemented an energy savings policy that rewards program managers to implement game-changing energy conservation measures like:

• 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)
• Only one coffee pot per building (depending on building size, this could cause catastrophic crew and other employee readiness failures)
• No air conditioning until it reaches 75F + in the barbershop (resulting in sweaty heads that reduce buzzer and clipper effectiveness)

With these changes in full effect, US and DOD energy autonomy is clearly within reach. Ahem.

New Report out on DOD Energy Innovation Looks at Past and Points to Future

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF), a K Street research firm, has just published a report describing DOD energy policies and actions to date, with an eye on what's likely coming up in the near-to-mid term future.

For some DOD Energy Blog readers who might lament some aspects of DOD energy moves to date, the report contrasts DOD vs. US national leadership on energy matters:

National U.S. policymakers have failed to implement a robust and cohesive clean energy innovation strategy. In comparison, DOD has embarked on a multi-year effort to develop and procure low-carbon energy technologies and fuels to increase national energy security and improve safe energy access for the Armed Forces.

In 2011, the DOD released Energy for the Warfighter: Operational Energy Strategy, a plan for addressing its energy-related challenges. Included in the plan are three strategic goals that reflect these challenges and guide its investment decisions: 1) More fight, less fuel; 2) More options, less risk; and 3) More opportunity, less cost

Definitely a reminder, not only of how far we have yet to travel, but how far we've come. You can read the whole report HERE. Andy

Negawatts and Heroes: San Diego Enlists Veterans for Energy Fight.

Energy and climate have made many strange bedfellows. Environmentalists and Marines make common cause because each has a mission vitally impacted by the use of energy. Everyone debates the merits of their favorite renewable or alternative energy production means, but all agree on the importance of the Fifth Fuel. Along with coal, petroleum, and nuclear, renewable/alternative energy make up the four fuels we use most commonly. The fifth fuel is the cleanest, cheapest and most secure of all. It is the electron you do not use through energy conservation.

On Tuesday, 6 December 2011, I will be speaking as part of an all-day series of events coordinated by the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego, CA, including an evening panel on the USS Midway. The Reuben H. Fleet Science Center “seeks to inspire lifelong learning by furthering the public understanding and enjoyment of science and technology”. The title of the program is “The Military Goes Green: Cutting Back on Fossil Fuel to Save Lives and Billions of Dollars”. It is co-sponsored by “EARTH: The Operators’ Manual”, an NSF-supported education and outreach project focusing on the twin topics of climate change and renewable energy. Check out the link to the website and if you are in SoCal, come by and participate.

In the process of preparing for this event, I was placed in contact with Laura Parsons of the California Center for Sustainable Energy, “a non-profit organization dedicated to creating change for a clean energy future,” a group I’ll be speaking that morning. One of their programs caught my attention and I wanted to share it with you. It is a pilot program funded by DOE “to test Community-Based Social Marketing strategies for encouraging people to do whole-house energy efficiency upgrades”. CCSE is preparing to enter the implementation phase of the program so they were looking for a target audience that would be aware of the implication of energy use, be disciplined enough to carry through with efficiency behavior and would be good representatives of the program. Guess who they picked? Veterans. The program is called the “San Diego Hero Alliance.”

According to Ms. Parsons, the program begins with a small commitment – asking veterans to pledge to do one energy efficient behavior – to bring them into this community of Energy Heroes. Once they self-identify as someone who cares about energy efficiency, the Alliance helps them to take progressive steps to learn more about their home’s energy performance, and ultimately, get a home energy upgrade. The Alliance will assist with tapping into an existing rebate program, to help overcome the cost barriers.

This is a practical and noble program. Using veterans as the stalking horses for focusing on energy efficiency brings continuity and credibility to the program. Helping veterans save on energy bills is principled and decent. One of the major impacts of efficiency programs is that they focus on air tightness standards for structures. With less air infiltration, cool stays cool and warm stays warm. Better still, pollen, moisture, dust and mold are reduced, creating a more health environment for children and other living things.

I wish them much success in this program. In areas where the cost for energy is high, such as Southern California, this makes sense for the utility and the consumer. This truly could be an Alliance of Heroes. Dan Nolan

Honeywell Performs for DOD Energy Savings

Long before talks of energy stimulus began echoing down Pentagon halls, Honeywell engineers were bringing energy savings technologies to the DOD en masse. The company recently announced the award of an Energy Savings Performance contract (ESPC) with the Army Corps of Engineers to continue doing for the Army what it's been doing for the other services:

Honeywell has ... implemented energy conservation measures for the Air Force and Navy. Combined, the company's DOD work will provide around $540 million in guaranteed savings. Typical improvements include replacing and upgrading heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) equipment, installing centralized building automation systems, replacing outdated fixtures with energy-efficient lighting, tightening building envelopes through new windows and doors, and upgrading electrical systems. Renewable energy technology like solar panels and biomass boilers is frequently employed as well.

In case you can't tell, that's not high tech stuff; that's low hanging fruit by the bushel. And it pays for itself, guaranteed. Bravo!

Navy Energy Wake-up Call

You have till then end of November to register your favorite small company with DON's Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NFEC) on an early stage "sources sought" solicitation. This initiative isn't so much about solving problems with new energy technology or policies, as much as it's about waking Navy personnel up to energy challenges in the first place. Particularly in the field of conservation, the cumulative efforts of many can make a big impact.  

Here's how the solicitation puts it: 

The purpose of the Energy Awareness Program is to publicize the goals, strategies, successes and lessons learned of the Navy Energy Program, produce an annual Secretary of Navy awards ceremony, increase Naval military and civilian employees’ knowledge of energy efficiency and conservation, develop products that will change the behavior of Navy personnel resulting in decreased energy use, develop and transfer technical and program management information to the DON community, and assist Naval activities in meeting energy reduction goals through awareness education.

There's no money in it yet, but this is a necessary prerequisite to gauge industry's interest and capabilities. How about a Prius-like display in each ship that tells the Captain when he's getting the best fuel economy (maybe this already exists)?  Or awards for seamen who submit the best energy saving ideas on shore and at sea?