When you think about it, the military’s interest in microgrid technology makes sense: With its need for facilities to stay powered all day every day, getting off the grid is critical. “Microgrids provide the military with energy security and reliability 24-7 Read more…
President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2014 in Honolulu last Thursday and while most observers noted that the bill cracks down on sexual assaults in the military and eases restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Read more…
Someone recently asked me why I was baffled about the Department of Defense’s decision to use both LEED and a green building code. Here are two reasons: 1. The policy is a waste of taxpayer money. 2. The policy unnecessarily Read more…
In last week’s post, I stated that the Army was abandoning LEED certification in lieu of a green building code based on ASHRAE 189.1. But it is now clear to me that I misinterpreted the testimony of Dr. Dorothy Robyn, Read more…
The Department of Energy (DOE) loan program aimed at commercializing clean transportation technologies has been taking hits from all sides recently. Loan recipients such as Fisker Automotive and Ener1, who have either had problems meeting deadlines or gone into bankruptcy, Read more…
In April 2010, the Department of Defense (“DOD”) issued a memorandum (“memo”) that altered the structure of the defense budgeting cycle, beginning with fiscal year (“FY”) 2012 budget. These changes were ostensibly made to offer more stability to the budgeting process, Read more…
Many people, including me, have noted that the National Defense Authorization Act (“NDAA”), signed into law by President Obama on December 31, 2011, prohibits the Department of Defense (“DoD”) from using any appropriated funds to achieve the two highest levels of Read more…
It was a rough year for Congress. The Republican and Democrats, the House and Senate — no one could seem to agree. Unless we are talking about green buildings. In June, I reported on the Department of Defense Reauthorization bill Read more…
In the past, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has played a remarkably consistent role in commercializing new technologies that provide tremendous social benefits within the larger civilian realm. The Internet, created by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency in Read more…
Across the federal government, and certainly in the Department of Defense, we know that after a decade of war we're entering a new era of smaller, tighter, leaner budgets. One of the areas we can look to save is on Read more…
Last week, a team from the Army's Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Command in Warren, MI parked a unique vehicle in the Pentagon courtyard. Dubbed the Fuel Efficiency Demonstrator-Alpha (FED-Alpha), the vehicle has all the capability of an up-armored Read more…
The mission: defeat the enemy while preserving Uncle Sam’s pocketbook. Saving the Earth is a worthy, but secondary, objective. The Department of Defense last week rolled out its plan to consume less, and find new ways to source, energy. The Read more…
Seven years ago, after leading the initial campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, General James Mattis, now the commander of U.S. Central Command, called on the Department of Defense to “unleash us from the tether of fuel.” Just last week on Read more…
Fuel cell manufacturers and OEMs continue to benefit from an increased military emphasis on energy security and logistical efficiency associated with the complex and challenging operational conditions being encountered in remote wartime environments such as Afghanistan. Reducing the strategic and Read more…