ORDER NOW

This report outlines U.S. Military efforts to bring biofuels into widespread use into all areas of its operations and branches. Learn which feedstock are regarded as the most promising and sustainable for producing biofuels. And discover what measures the military is taking to develop and support these sources.

In 2010 President Obama announced energy policies which include continued development and use of advanced biofuels in the nation's fleet and military vehicles. This report examines how the military is using biofuel to reduce costs, curb emissions, and practice energy independence.

Biofuel is any fuel that is derived from biomass - recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts. It is a renewable energy source, unlike other natural resources such as petroleum, coal, and nuclear fuels. Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning fuel made from renewable fats or vegetable oils that can help increase U.S. energy security by reducing dependence on foreign sources of oil.

The Pentagon is pursuing the support of development of homegrown energy sources to protect national security. It calls for a goal of using 50% more alternative fuels in all Navy planes, vehicles and ships in the next 10 years. Federal mandate requires the Marines to reduce energy consumption by 30 percent by 2015.

The greatest barrier to large-scale commercialization of biofuels is their relatively high cost of production. Because they are used primarily to replace gasoline or diesel, world petroleum product prices drive commercial viability of biofuels to a large extent.

The Navy’s 2020 goal across land and sea operations is to cut fossil fuel usage by half, largely through the use of biofuels.

This report offers case studies on military biofuel uses, and outlines military biofuel goals.



Pages: 58
Published: November 2012
Publisher: Red Mountain Insights
ISBN: 978-1-62484-012-8

What are Biofuels? 6
Introduction to Biofuels 6
Background 7
What are the Major Biofuels? 8
Biologically Produced Alcohols 8
Biologically Produced Gases 10
Biologically Produced Oils 10
Solid Biofuels 11
Utilization of Biofuels 11
Home Cooking & Heating 11
Transport 12
Direct Electricity Generation 13
Analysis of Ethanol 14
Analysis of Biodiesel 15
Biofuel Advantages and Disadvantages 16
Ethanol 19
Biodiesel 21
What the Future Holds for Biofuels 21
U.S. Military Biofuel Goals 23
Energy Policy Act of 2005 26
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 27
Recovery Act Funding for Biomass Projects 27
Recovery Act Financial Opportunities for Biomass Projects 29
Case Studies 30
Defense Energy Support Center 35
Air Transport Association of America 37
U.S Airforce 37
U.S Army 38
QinetiQ 39
Alternative Fuel Technologies 39
U.S. Marine Corps 40
Military Growth Task Force 40
Camp Lejeune 41
U.S Navy 41
Biofuel in Ships Demonstration Projects 44
Range Training Support Craft 45
U.S. Navy, Biodiesel Industries and Aerojet 46
Bullet Airship Test 46
DARPA 47
Green Hornet 47
USDA Partnership 47
Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache Biofuel Helicopter 48
Appendix 48
Glossary 53
Abbreviations 53
Units of Measure 55
Terms 56

ORDER NOW