California Center for Sustainable Energy

When the military goes green, everyone wins

Not always regarded as innovative or progressive by the uninformed, U.S. military forces are taking great strides toward using energy efficiency and alternative fuels to save energy and money – and more importantly lives – while reducing the size of its carbon “boot print.”

Drawing upon the military’s successes, Dan Nolan, a former U.S. Army colonel and CEO of the consulting firm Sabot 6, foresees a transfer of the military’s strategic and operational energy conservation practices into the civilian world as a potential cultural game-changer. OOh-Rah!

Nolan’s idea of military policies and personnel driving the nation to be more energy conscious is not so farfetched. Consider the huge role the armed forces have played in our society, not just in fighting wars, but also in cultural and social change.

Racial integration was brought back and mixed into American society by service personnel returning from the Korean War and bases worldwide following President Truman’s Executive Order 9981. Later, women gained the right to be a part of the military alongside men in most occupations, rather than service in their own separate units dedicated to nursing or other traditionally female jobs. More recently, the military ended decades of discrimination by allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly. The argument could be made that the military simply reflects society at the time, but it can’t be refuted that the military helped make these social changes operational.

Nolan points out that although the Department of Defense uses only about one percent of total U.S. energy production, it is the nation’s largest single energy user, consuming about 80 percent of all federal energy use. The numbers are staggering: 3 million employees, 2.2 billion square feet of space in 307,000 buildings, more than 6,000 locations and operations in more than 160 countries. The servicewide expenditure for energy tops some $15.2 billion, and the current goal is a 25 percent reduction by 2025.

One of DOD’s greatest challenges is the consumption of energy in the battlefield, especially at the tip of the fighting spear. Today, forward operations require increased use of generators and batteries to power modern, computerized systems and to heat, cool and light spaces for personnel and equipment. Getting the fuel and batteries to forward positions also consumes large amounts of fuel and puts convoy personnel in harm’s way. Nolan says more than 1,000 soldiers have died in convoy missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2006, Nolan helped create solutions to reduce the amount of fuel transported to supply power generation systems in forward operating bases. Under his leadership, a Power Surety Task Force developed the technology for reducing energy demands by spraying insulating foam on temporary structures and field-testing hybrid electric power stations and garbage-to-energy systems. Many of these ideas and others have been put into use by military today.

After retiring from the military, Nolan focused on bringing his knowledge of the DOD energy structure and operations to the commercial market. In addition, he continues to be tapped by the federal government for his expertise and to address government energy organizations.

“Whether you’re looking at energy use from a security standpoint, an economic standpoint or an environmental standpoint, energy efficiency and conservation are positive impacts for everyone,” Nolan said.

• Learn more at Nolan’s DOD Energy Blog – Rethinking Military Power.
• View Nolan’s presentation here.

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