The Army plans to invest $7 billion in renewable-energy sources according to a new request for proposal that could allow multiple projects to begin nationwide.
Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy & Environment, said the cumulative investment will help the Army reach its goal of having 25 percent of the Army’s energy come from renewable sources by 2025 as part of its “net-zero strategy.”
“Specifically, a net-zero energy installation produces as much energy annually as it uses, and this does not mean replacement of current energy requirements with onsite energy production,” she said. “It means that installations address energy efficiency as the primary first step and then evaluate, re-purpose and reuse energy as well as energy recovery.”
In addition to energy conservation, installations will strive to establish alternative forms of energy that will allow them to “island” or continue to operate should the power grid fail.
Presently, the Army consumes 2.5 million megawatt hours annually.
“We understand there’s a need to enhance our energy security because it’s operationally necessary, financially prudent and critical to our mission,” Hammack said. “We know that power grids are increasingly vulnerable and expose Army operations to risk.”
