In Certain Scenarios, DOD Would be Better Fueled by Fuel Cells

DOD needn't wait to start benefitting from new fuel cell capabilities, and three use cases in particular are the most promising for existing commercial fuel cell tech, according to a report just out from LMI:

1. Distributed power generation - as in for base load power, as well as heating and cooling needs, can  be provided by fuel cell systems. This gets you energy efficiency gains and reduced: operating costs, building energy intensity, and emissions
2. Backup power - here the benefits are improved reliability, lower maintenance, longer life, lighter weight, and lower emissions
3. Unmanned vehicles - aerial and otherwise. Improved capabilities like extended range, reduced maintenance, and more are are possible

Of course, all of these benefits add up to improved energy security: bases less dependent on their local grids and operational forces that can more readily power themselves without waiting for the next convoy to come over the pass.

It's not DOD's mission to develop or incubate new technologies.  Far from it. But arguably, by showing how young technologies can solve its specialized problems, it paves the way for broader applications, within and external to the military.

Click HERE to read the LMI report: Beyond Demonstration: The Role of Fuel Cells in DoD's Energy Strategy. Andy Bochman

Simple Solutions and Occam's Razor: Why we are not seeing rapid adoption of energy solutions.

Interesting article in the Environmental Entrepreneurs “E2 Update” by David Willson. Mr Willson attended the 26 April 2011 White House Forum on Energy and heard DepSecDef Bill Lynn and DepSecEn Daniel Poneman speak. He was moved to write his article after hearing the tales of woe that the military was telling, yet again. It is the same tale that has been told since August 2006 when Major General Zilmer, USMC asked for a hybrid electric power station. Mr. Willson, who has a twenty five year history in the energy field, presents some simple (and possibly simplistic) solutions to the challenges of battlefield energy.

His holistic approach starts with energy efficiency. Geothermal heat pumps are one solution to inefficient generators and HVAC units. Close looped systems exchange heat between the atmosphere and cool temperatures thirty feet below the surface (more here). Small wind turbines provide the pumping power. Simple solutions for complex problems.

Mr. Willson also recommends swamp coolers as an old and proven technology. The water intensity of evaporative cooling may be a bit much for desert climes, but worth a look. He also advocates for thermally efficient buildings such as the Afghans have been building for centuries. On that point he aligns with COL (RET) T.C. Moore, USMC of leader of the Marine Energy Assessment Team. Can’t wait to see those showing up in the Sand Book.

Power production gets only a short mention. He is an advocate for combine heat and power applications. According to the Federal Energy Management Program, CHP “offers extraordinary benefits in terms of energy efficiencies and emissions reductions by optimizing the use of heat that would otherwise be wasted when generating power. CHP systems can improve power quality, reliability, and overall energy security”. These systems can be retrofitted to any system that produces heat as a byproduct. What’s not to love?

The bottom-line is that Mr. Willson’s suggestions are common sense, simple and have all been proffered before. Why have they not been adopted? Most often, we hear that U.S. Forces do not want to appear as permanent and such improvements give that impression. More directly, it may be because no one has changed the specifications that the various Contracting Commands use in writing the contracts for Logistics Civil Augmentation Program and for the contracts in support of CONUS installations.

The philosophical principal of Occam’s Razor is that we should tend toward the simpler theories in the absence of sufficient facts to support a more complex answer. In all the DOD energy conferences I have attended, I have never heard someone from any of the Contracting Commands speak about how energy efficiency is being considered in the products or services for which the government contracts. That does not mean it is not being done; it just says that I have not observed it. It will feature in the questions asked at this week’s Army/Air Force Energy Forum. Remember, if you cannot attend, send me your questions and I will respond; better still, post them in the comments section. Look forward to seeing many of you on Tuesday and Wednesday. Dan Nolan

Bashing the Square on Energy: Learning the Drill

Only those who have served with or in the British Army might pick up the reference, but Dina Fine Maron's piece in the NYT describes the challenges faced in deploying new energy technologies outside the traditional acquisition and R&D systems. If you don't know the drill, you can't execute the facing movements required. Although quoted therein, my judgement remains objective! Read on. Dan Nolan

Photo Courtesy of BBC

Conference Alert: 90 Minutes of Energy Innovation

On 31 March 2011 from 9:00 A.M. to 10:30 A.M at the Rayburn House Office Building, The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation will host a conference sponsored by the Information Technology Industry Council and Digital Energy Solutions Campaign, entitled "Operation Energy Innovation: A Stronger, Smarter Fighting Force". The intent for the program is to examine how "DOD can play a prime role in accelerating cleantech development". At this event we will get to hear from the Ven diagram of Operational and Installation Energy. Dr. Dorothy Robyn, DUSD, Installations and Environment and Ms. Sharon Burke, ASD, Operational Energy Plans and Programs will share the rostrum with Congressmen J. Randy Forbes and Adam Smith and a bevy of info tech industry mavins. The program is open to all comers and you can register for free at the link above. We will also get to hear from Tim Solms, the General Manager for the Microsoft DOD business, so Power Point Rangers, bring your questions! See you there. Dan Nolan

Airframe Fuel Efficiency: NASA Attempts to Crack one of the Toughest Nuts to Crack

Hat tip to Ollie - he's been cranking 'em out lately, including an excellent pointer to this article about logistics travails in Afghanistan making Iraq look like a day at the beach. In the meantime, whether they be flown by man, woman, or machine, big things that fly drink a heck of a lot of fuel. GE's been reporting progress on engine efficiency; now here's NASA pushing on the airframe itself:

NASA says the ability to cut drag by controlling the amount of laminar flow— or smoother, boundary-layer air over a wing surface—offers potential improvements in fuel efficiency, range and payload that “far exceed” any known single aeronautical technology. Possible fuel savings of up to 30% for subsonic commercial aircraft have been suggested, should a successful passive natural laminar flow (NLF) or active hybrid laminar flow system be developed.

There's more here in this Aviation Week article. The DOD fuel burden impact of even single percentage point improvements would be massive. Efficiency investments here could yield huge returns: less fuel per mission, or longer but fewer missions. Or more 24/7 eyes and ears in the skies to help our guys on the ground.

Image Credit: Standford University

It's More than Academic: Expeditionary Fuel Savings = a Better US Military

Guess what officers are researching these days as part of their graduate work? That's right, operational energy. Here are the two of the more recent ones I've seen:

• "NPS Graduate Thesis: Cost Benefit Analysis of Integrated COTS energy-related technologies for Army's Force Provider Module" by LCDR Allen Rivera, SC, USN (Sep 2009). PDF here
• "Reducing Battlefield Fuel Demand:. Mitigating a Marine Corp Critical Vulnerability" by Major William B. Fenwick, USMC (Mar 2009). PDF here

Rivera's paper documents some extensive work done in conjunction with the Soldier Systems unit at Natick, MA testing the value propositions of improved lighting and insulation tech. Guess which category offers the bigger energy bang for the buck?

Fenwick's strategy paper focuses on the disconnect between expeditionary missions and the sobering limitations of current energy logistics.

Photo Credit: CarbonNYC / David Goehring @ Flickr

New Insulation Tech makes a Better Winter Jacket...May One Day Reduce DOD Fuel Consumption

Got to speak with a very interesting new company called Klymit recently, and at first I wasn't sure their technology, which has potential to help keep soldiers warmer and lighter, was applicable to DOD from an energy point of view. When you visit Klymit's site you'll be impressed. Their disruptive approach to insulation: user adjustable, noble gas-enabled insulation, made me think this was something Natick Soldier Systems might be interested in to possibly lighten the ridiculously heavy loads carried by today's troops. Along those lines, I was informed Klymit is working with industry consultant Level 4 Group to approach Natick and DOD on a few fronts.

One of those fronts, and where the big potential win for DOD on the energy front is, is in applying Klymit's insulation technology to tents. Here are a few of the advantages Klymit tents might have over the current state of the art, energy saving, spray foam tents:

• Klymit fabric rolls up for transport or storage - soldier deployable and "Marine proof" - no contractors
• High R values relative to weight/space constraints compared to foam and other conventional insulation
• Fully re-useable - spray foam tents are a one time deal with foam-waste disposal challenges post use
• Klymit insulation in harsh applications has a potential life span of up to several years

This is early stage stuff but Klymit is currently in talks with DOD tent and structure orgs and they're worth keeping an eye on. By they way, there's more Klymit coverage at my alma mater site: Discovery Tech: Sustainable.

Future Planes on Approach for DOD Service

OK, they won't be arriving tomorrow, but somewhere between the X-Prize for automobiles and the X-Prize for private low-earth orbit private spacecraft, lies NASA and the CAFE Foundation challenge for "Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency."

Combine the quest for more efficient airframes and engines with new fuels and fuel types, with the explosion of UAVs across the mission spectrum and who knows what the hell airplanes, let alone ours and other air forces, are going to look like in a couple of decades.

One thing's for sure: it won't be a simple extrapolation beyond where we are today from where we've been. Using a 75kW electric motor using brushless technology, the all-electric lithium polymer powered plane pictured here just reached 250 KPH. Do you suppose future tankers, fueled with JP-8 or electricity, will dangle extension cords to re-charge power hungry manned and unmanned aircraft?

Photo: DigiSky

Lockheed Hot on the Cleantech Trail

Not long ago a Google search for "Lockheed" and "energy" most likely would have produced hits related to airborne lasers and other direct energy weapons. In early 2009, things have surely changed. In fact, I didn't even have to search; the Lockheed "Special Innovation Symposia" found me in an email this morning with a message of support for solar, smart grid and storage R&D. (BTW, if you want to participate in the symposia, you'd better get a move on. Deadline for submissions is 6 March 2009.)

A little searching ensued and I quickly found the obligatory green-branding material on the corporate site. But what I'm far more interested in, is the potential of this historically great company, home of the fabled Skunk Works, to innovate new energy solutions for DOD and perhaps the nation. This is the company, after all, that gave us the P-38, the U-2 and the SR-71, each an engineering miracle.

In particular, would like to see Lockheed turn up the volume on aircraft R&D, to squeeze much more bang out of every JP8 buck, and to imagine flying systems that don't use conventional jet fuel at all. Now that would be impressive.

Photo of U2: Wikimedia Commons

MIT Emerging Energy Tech: Regenerative Shocks for Hummers & JLTVs

Though I spend a good amount of time at MIT, here's another new co. it's spawned, Levant Power, I hadn't come across until recently.  The tech is still young, but if it can be proven out, it's going to be a boon for future (and maybe current gen) Army and Marines vehicles:

Senior Shakeel Avadhany and his teammates say they can produce up to a 10 percent improvement in overall vehicle fuel efficiency by using the regenerative shock absorbers. The company that produces Humvees for the army, and is currently working on development of the next-generation version of the all-purpose vehicle, is interested enough to have loaned them a vehicle for testing purposes.

If a reader can ping Army TARDEC or its Fuel Efficient Ground Vehicle Demonstrator (FED) folks, I'm sure they'd like to know about this. Perhaps they already do.

Photo of GenShock Courtesy of Zack Anderson

M2E for Soldier Power

One company that can definitely lay claim to the "Wearable Power" category, but which was not allowed to compete in the recent Wearable competition is Motion to Energy (M2E) Power of Boise, Idaho. Why the disqualification? The competition forbid any power generated by the soliders themselves, and that's exactly what M2E does: harvest energy that otherwise would have been wasted. I'll let M2E speak for themselves about their special sauce:

M2E’s technology dramatically increases the amount of power that can be generated from kinetic energy. The power is produced by using motion-produced electromagnetic fields that are harvested, converted to electrical energy and stored for use in a variety of scalable applications. The application possibilities span handheld, mobile devices to larger power requirements, such as hybrid vehicles and power systems for industrial use. 

These folks got their start with some pioneering physics work done with DOE at the Idaho National Lab, and with a passel of generals on their military advisory board, they are sure to find the right connections in DOD. Imagine while on patrol in Afghanistan, your own motion is generating electricity for you and saving you from having to schlep additional pounds of batteries. That would make you pretty happy, wouldn't it?

Image: M2E Power logo 

Lessons for DOD: Walmart Boosts Fleet Truck Efficiency by 25%

Wal-Mart's focus on energy efficiency and energy innovation is mentioned prominently in what continues to be my favorite DOD energy document, the DSB Energy Task Force Report on Energy published one year ago. Guess what? The same company that set ambitious energy efficiency goals several years ago is now meeting them. With this announcement, Wal-Mart signals it has reached the halfway point to its goal of a 50% energy reduction in its trucking fleet by 2015.  

Similar to the challenges facing the 4 Services, TRANSCOM and the other parts of DOD charged with moving men and materials, Wal-Mart's solutions are part technology and part process.

Amory Lovins and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) played a big role in getting Wal-Mart this far this fast. RMI leads the way in much of the energy innovation going on today. And speaking of leadership, as goes Wal-Mart, so goes the rest of the rest of the trucking industry that has to keep up or move out. Let's hope DOD, in addition to being a great leader in many areas, is also a fast follower where it can leverage lessons learned by other leaders.

Photo: RMI

2 Words: Solar Tents

By now you should already know about how spray foam insulation on tents in Iraq and Afghanistan has saved many millions of dollars, reduced fuel convoy size and frequency, and most importantly, saved many soldiers' lives.

What you should also know is that several new co's, including Massachusetts-based Konarka, are perfecting thin-film solar technology to the point where it can be built into fabrics ... like tents. The FOB applications are many, and include not just tents, but essentially any structure, parked vehicle or space that lends itself to being partially or fully covered.

With tents that retain 50% more energy, with micro-grid and energy management systems that save 20-25%, and with tents and other surfaces creating new solar sources of FOB energy, it's plain to see that Army field units, in deserts anyway, may not need fuel convoys much longer. Food and ammo, yes. Fuel, no.

Photo courtesy of Konarka

IBM: Green as Google?

Attended my first DC Energy Conversation tonight in person, and it was well worth the wait. The featured presentation was given by IBM Managing Director Todd Ramsey and outlined several key sectors in which IBM is bringing creative thought leadership to energy issues related to the government and commercial sectors. Topics included:

• Data center efficiency (Project Big Green), including a new state-of-the-art facility in Boulder, CO (picture above)
  
• Smart workforce management (increasing use of remote workers via online collaboration tools)
  
• Intelligent transportation systems (to reduce congestion induced fuel waste)
  
• Smart utility grid (adding intelligence to the grid reaps big energy savings)
  

Of these, Ramsey positioned data center efficiency projects as the real low hanging fruit opportunities from which many US companies could immediately reap substantial savings. In his experience, 40% savings were typical with 100% ROI achievable within 2 years. 

I also liked his slide showing that while IT operations are responsible for 2% of global energy consumption, IT efficiency solutions can bring substantial savings to the other 98%. For more info on IBM's energy efficiency and environmental initiatives go to: www.ibm.com/green.

I have to admit when the talk was over, I had to tell Mr. Ramsey that IBM's energy initiatives made the famously conservative company seem a lot hipper than I remember. In energy innovation, I'd say IBM is definitely giving Google a run for its money.

Photo: IBM

Lovins on DOD Energy (Part II)

OK, now that the previous post gave a skeleton outline of Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) founder and energy visionary since the 1970's, I'll drill down a bit more on Tuesday night's conversation in Cambridge. Here are a couple of the more pointed comments I captured that night:

• Lovins said DOD is setting the pace for the nation on energy efficiency and emissions reduction. In particular, it's embracing the concepts of negawatts and neg-emissions so troops have greater flexibility and face less exposure to hostile fire while protecting fuel in transit
  
• Speaking of which, he noted that DOD uses 70% of its total fuel resources on moving people, equipment ... and fuel
• He remarked that DOD used to think of price of fuel delivery was free. Since April of this year, and the NDAA 2009 (both well documented on this blog) however, the FBCF and its energy KPPs will ensure that Prime DOD contractors will be competing to see who can bring the most energy efficient solutions. And he predicted that those efficiency technologies and strategies will find their way into the commercial sector as have so many other groundbreaking military technologies before them
  
• When the moderator, Paul Maeder of Highland Capital Partners asked him about the effects on certain world leaders of today's lower oil prices, as well as in the future envisioned by Lovins, Lovins replied that folks like Ahmadinejad, Putin, Chavez and the Saudi's "would have to get real jobs." Much laughter ensued.
• Lovins passed around an ultra light, ultra strong carbon fiber ballistic helmet intended for military use, and noted similar materials used for auto bodies will be game changers, allowing cars to lose half their weight. Said to check out the Toyota 1X
• When asked about Obama, Lovins said he was already exerting strong energy leadership and stressed that this was going to be very helpful. And then he said Obama is going to have to restructure/repurpose the DOE
  
• The last thing I got to ask him was what fuel did he think would power USAF planes 10-20 years from now. At first he mentioned liquid hydrogen, but didn't seem too sure about its military utility. And then he moved on to saying maybe it'll be what we use today: JP8 from traditional sources. But suggested that if the DOD and the nation continue on the energy efficiency course on which they've embarked, it won't cost much as it will be in less demand. 

Here's hoping he's right on that. All that. He's been nothing but right so far.

Photo: RMI HQ in Snowmass, CO

Lovins on DOD Energy (Part I)

Had the great good fortune to hear pioneering energy thinker Amory Lovins speak to a small group of VCs and entrepreneurs in Cambridge, MA last night at an event hosted by innovation aggregator Xconomy. And even had a chance for a little one-on-one conversation afterwards. A number of good DOD related topics emerged, so I'm going to make this a 2-part post.

Here's some background info on Lovins for those of you not already familiar with his work:

• Author of seminal 1976 article appearing in Foreign Affairs: Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?
  
• In 1982, founded the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in Snowmass, CO
  
• Author of Winning the Oil Endgame - essential reading published in 2005
  
• Served on the DSB Energy Task Force that published my favorite DOD energy report in Feb 2008 (see link in sidebar). Said overall it's a quality piece of work, though he would have emphasized some aspects more ... like the massive endurance benefits DOD gets via efficiency improvements

Last night, with < $50 barrel oil casting a shadow over entrepreneurs and investors who had a much easier time proving the value of their solutions when oil was $147, Lovins said he believes energy will remain at the forefront of DOD and National strategy thinking, even as fuel prices have fallen. This time, with climate change and energy security now both big parts of the equation, there will be little let-up in our pursuit for better energy ideas ... and for making oil a less-than-strategic commodity. To be continued ...

FedEx Schooling for DOD

Great article here on the Cleantech Blog.

OK, there are no missiles, tanks or fighters in FedEx. But allowing for some core differences in mission, there are a heck of a lot of similarities, logistically speaking, between delivery giant FedEx and the DOD.

Both use jet fuel and gasoline at prodigious rates as part and parcel (pun alert) of getting the job done. Both are experimenting with efficiency technologies across the enterprise, including hybrid ground vehicles and process improvements like shutting down jet engines whenever possible (and only on the ground) to conserve fuel. On the facilities side you'll find a few solar and geothermal sites. Sound familiar?

I think there's a lot to be learned here, and hopefully, AF and other leaders are taking good notes.

Gearing Up for Jet Fuel Savings

As noted previously, the Air Force is proving its planes will fly on a half JP-8/half synth fuel blend. This is good news because the synthetic fuel half is derived from non-oil sources, which also means less foreign oil required to keep USAF jets in the air. The bad news is it appears it takes a hell of a lot of energy to make that synth fuel out its various sources, including natural gas, and especially coal.

As Dr. Sohbet Karbuz explains repeatedly on his energy blog, the primary key for DOD is not in switching fuels, but rather, in reducing the amount of fuel that's needed.

Enter the Pratt & Whitney PW8000 turbofan engine. Long in development, its novel use of gears allows it to use 10% less fuel and it brings other costs savings as well. I'm not saying the Air Force's approach is bad. In fact, in an energy security scenario where the US is cut off from its foreign suppliers, it's essential prep work. But there's no debating the merits of more efficient planes (like the 787) and more efficient engines. We've got to keep pushing the efficiency (and conservation) buttons because synth fuels alone are energy intensive to make, and dollar intensive to buy.

Fuel Price Yo-Yo & DOD Implications

I'm not the first to put it like this. There's an oil price yo-yo going on right now: price goes up, use goes down. Use goes down, price goes down. Price goes down, use goes up, etc. It could be like this for quite a while. However, some people are aiming to give this yo-yo a jerk.

Former SAP VP Shai Agassi has a plan to get the world's cars off oil. I wrote about him here in January when gas was hitting $3 a gallon, and Wired just did a cover story on him here with gas in the US pulling back below $4.

Well, there are a heck of a lot of folks working on this problem and he's just one guy, relatively young, and with very little energy or transportation experience. So he's probably not going to do much, right? But what if he's even partially successful?

Fewer combustion engine cars will mean lower oil demand. Look what's happened to US demand and gas prices in the last few weeks. If entire countries get off oil, demand will plummet and prices will drop. Perhaps this means the Air Force and the air industry will get a a longer runway to develop alternative fuels and approaches as jet fuel remains more affordable, longer?

As a friend if mine said, though, the yo-yo effect doesn't go on forever. At some point further along the Peak Oil curve, use goes down and prices still go up. Well before then it will be good if the Air Force has transitioned fully to the synthetic fuels its aggressively pursing today. F-15s just hit mach 2 on synth fuels !!!