Alternative energy uses in the military
Most governments and corporations are seeking alternative energy strategies to produce energy without the use of fossil fuels, all trying to curb their CO2 emissions. But, you would be surprised that most armies are also using alternative energy strategies, and it makes sense because an army moves on its fuel and food for its personnel. Anyone who studies military history knows how critical this is. Not long ago, a technologist interviewed me and asked me about the exploits of alternative energy for war planners. Let’s talk.
Daniel asks: “Will we see the use of alternative energy in the military industry?”
OUI well south. A couple of reasons;
(1) The Climate Change push is sending a huge amount of research dollars to alternative energy, and the world’s armies need energy, it takes a lot of energy to run a Navy, Army or Air Force. Clue: nuclear powered aircraft carriers and submarines. As these alternative energy innovations become a reality and can compete with fossil fuels in cost, we will see many more, and;
(2) Consider that. Like the radar signature on a stealth plane, having a smoking smoke stack on a large ship, like the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov (smoky old man, rather embarrassing), leaves his position quite quickly.
Right now, we need to realize that oil prices are low and fossil fuels pack a lot of energy in those little molecules, and that’s hard for powerful afterburners to beat. If oil prices go up again, that will be reason number 3.
As far as biofuels go, we are a ways off, and the cost is way too high to justify, but who knows in the future, maybe some brilliant genius will take home a Nobel Prize for figuring it out, that would be a game- change. When it comes to solar power, well, the prices have really come down and the efficiency has really gone up. That, coupled with battery performance (improving life, reducing weight, recharging faster, and reducing overall costs due to increased production), we can be sure of increased use of solar energy in armies around the planet, but only when it makes sense and if it works: Remember, when it comes to the military, it’s all about operational readiness, and an infantryman with depleted batteries could end up dead.
Hydrogen-powered military equipment makes a lot of sense, and yes, there are technological challenges too, but they will be solved in private industry because there are so many potential applications, from transportation to home use and beyond.
Still, at the end of the day, the military needs what works, and they need it now, if they want to win, political correctness seems pretty trivial when a war is being waged with life or death at stake, so reality ranks first. If alternative energies can make it cheaper, more efficient, and require less logistics for an army on the move, you can bet they’ll be part of the mix of technologies, count on it.