As a part of an effort to reduce cost and risk of getting fuel to forward operating bases, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) concluded a new cooperative agreement with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory to develop information that military resource planners can use to optimize energy consumption depending on their specific local conditions and mission needs. This consortium, the first of its kind, plans to use simulations to determine how best to integrate existing technologies, including renewable fuels. The Energy Efficient Outpost Modeling Consortium has three pillars including: Energy Resource Planning Tool; Energy Resource Dashboard and Control; and Energy Efficiency Training. The consortium is supported by the DOD’s Operational Energy Capabilities Improvement Fund through the Office of Naval Research (ONR). Commenting on the program, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs, Sharon E. Burke noted that having “better energy options can make our forces more flexible and adaptive in combat,” and that this unique group will “give us access to a greater range of expertise in this dynamic area.” Read more directly from Georgia Tech’s press release and from DOE’s “FY13 Operational Energy Capabilities Improvement Fund Program Descriptions.”
