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Environmental Leader links and summarizes a recent Los Angeles Times report that covers the push for energy efficiency within the Pentagon. The LA Times reports that the US Defense Department already derives 9.8% of its power from alternative sources and is looking to expand the use of wind, solar, thermal and nuclear energy.

Their report also includes this anecdote from Iraq:

“When Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard took command of Ft. Irwin in 2007, he was stunned by the cost of housing troops in tents powered by generators, as they often are in Iraq and Afghanistan. A brigade of about 4,000 to 5,000 troops was spending about $3 million to rent the tents and keep the air conditioners humming during a month-long rotation, Pittard said. By building tents covered with two to three inches of insulating foam and a solar- reflective coating, they reduced the generator requirements by 45% to 75%, a technique that is now being used at some larger bases in the war zones. Estimates are that a $22-million investment to replace all the rented tents at Ft. Irwin with insulated, semi-permanent ones would pay for itself within nine months and could save the Army $100 million over five years, said Eric Gardner, a logistics management specialist at the base.”

Read “USA: 2005-Present Contracts for Shelters, Components & Trailers” for more coverage of this aspect of American procurement policy. Similar treatments could also be provided for container-based shelters, which would have added advantages of security and even mobility.

Full disclosure: In 2008, DID LLC signed a financial agreement with Environmental Leader magazine that involves mutual investments. DID’s long-standing coverage of energy issues and their implications for military procurement will continue.