Marines map out a bold energy plan

[dkf]

Hawaii base aims to exceed power needs in less than 10 years

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

KANE'OHE BAY — The Marines, who pride themselves on being bold, want to build the state's largest photovoltaic solar farm and a biofuel electricity-producing plant on base, both of which would not only meet all of the Marines' power needs by 2015, but exceed them, officials said.
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A multi-megawatt solar array, which would wrap part way around and dominate the radar-topped Kansas Tower Hill, is expected to be started in the fall of 2009 and could be generating power half a year later, said Col. Robert Rice, who commands Marine Corps Base Hawai'i.

The biofuel plant, which could run on locally-grown palm oil or sugar cane, and JP-5 jet fuel in an emergency, is expected to be developed closer to 2015, and would go a long way in meeting the Marine Corps base's 13- to 20-megawatt power needs.

"I'm 100 percent sure that we can get there (energy self-sustainment) by 2020, but I want to be more aggressive in that goal, and I want to get there by 2015," Rice said.

The ambitious plans are part of a wave of renewable and alternative energy projects the Defense Department's four services — Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines — will be pursuing in Hawai'i in coming years.

Solar, wind, thermal, biodiesel, wave and hydrogen power are among the technologies on the table.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081130/NEWS01/811300320/1001

[azul]

1. End of oil wars.

The military tries to plan ahead. This should signal something to those who want to fight for oil until it dries up.

Looks like the marines are leading the way to avoid a bad and unwinnable situation, or else are trying to declare peace.

[gratuitous]

2. Bwahahaha! What a bunch of weenies

Everybody knows that real he-men wrestle oil up out of the unyielding ground and bend it to their will. What's with all this hippy-dippy "solar" and "wind" power nonsense? What if it's a cloudy or a calm day? We'll be left wide open to terrorist attacks! Have those stalwart men of arms Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity been informed of this nascent weenitude infecting our nation's troops? It's Obama's fault!

[dkf]

4. Next we will be using wave power. Oh Noes!

I must say we are very lucky in Hawaii since we can use solar power all year long. I was touting solar to someone in the East Coast and they were concerned with snow covering the solar panels. That hadn't even occurred to me.

Right now we have a ton of people using solar water heaters. As I was driving a street in my neighborhood, it seemed at least 2 out of 3 had one.

[itsrobert]

5. I think they already have experimental wave power

I think OPTT did some business with them.

edit: read the artlice--- "About a mile offshore, meanwhile, testing continues on the latest version of the PowerBuoy, a 12-foot diameter by 55-foot-long device that uses waves to produce energy."

Duh.

[DemoTex]

3. Eat the apple .. use the core (to paraphrase an old diddy)

Use the whole hog, including the squeal. Waste not, want not.