Pentagon is Investing in a Greener Military
Pentagon is Investing in a Greener Military
By Steve Gelsi
Published: August 25, 2011
Think your fuel bill is too high? Have a look at the U.S. military, which spent a whopping $13 billion on petroleum last year to keep its ships, planes and combat vehicles running.
Add to that the human toll from attacks on supply convoys and an estimated $400 price per gallon of fuel sent to the front lines, and it's no wonder the Department of Defense is looking for alternatives.
Rick Wilson, chief executive of Cobalt Technologies Inc. and a veteran of BP PLC, said the company is working with the Navy to turn vegetation into biobutanol suitable for fueling jets. The company makes butanol for about $1.90 a gallon and converts it to military-spec jet fuel for roughly half the cost of conventional fossil-fuel blends, he said.
"In the case of the Navy, the real attraction for our technology is that it can be used locally," he noted. "We can use algae growing in a pond, we can use grasses, we can use trees. Having a jet fuel supply around the world creates supply reliability."