‘Buy American’ Solar Provision Highlights the Role of Military Procurement

On 01.11.11, In News, By Staff

Guest contribution by Leigh Ewbank

On the heels of filing a complaint with the WTO against China’s subsidies for its domestic wind turbine manufacturers, President Obama signed an appropriations law that requires the Department of Defense to purchase American-made solar panels. The move appears to be the first instance of America leveraging its WTO complaint to boost its clean technology industry, and shows that the US is beginning to take clean energy competitiveness seriously.

Some will argue that the ‘buy American’ provision smacks of hypocrisy—that the administration is as guilty of the same behavior it has criticized China for. Others will argue that the measure counters the Chinese subsidies and is a legitimate way to bolster the US clean energy sector in an uneven playing field. Regardless of your position on the matter, the move shines a spotlight on the role of military procurement.

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Can Congress Avoid a Climate Science War?

On 11.15.10, In Opinion, By Daniel Goldfarb

Everybody loves a good fight, and Andrew Revkin reports that scientists are gearing up for an upcoming slugfest over the validity of climate science in his post “Scientists Join Forces in a Hostile Climate.”  On the other side, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) is maneuvering to become Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, saying of the position, “Within the Energy and Commerce committee we are ground-zero in the effort to reestablish conservative principles in the Congress and by extension in the country.”

So how can we avoid an unproductive back and forth between climate scientists and climate zombies?  One idea is to shift the debate from what causes climate change to a discussion of more specific concerns and solutions, starting with how our current energy posture hampers national security.

National security provides the perfect arena in which to discuss energy policy.  Unlike politicians, members of the military don’t point fingers, they find solutions.  Our politicians could learn from the Department of Defense’s solution oriented approach to problems, and move past who is causing global warming to how we can best address it.  Writing in the Washington Post today, Meg Bostrom recommends such a solution oriented approach for the upcoming Congress in her piece “A Climate Plan for Climate-Change Deniers“:

“There is good reason to think that those who are worried about climate change would make greater progress – especially among Republicans, who profess increasing skepticism about warming – if they focused less on arguing the scientific reality and more on building support for specific solutions that all sides can agree on.”

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“The Marines Go Green” and Civilians Gain

On 10.12.10, In News, By Daniel Goldfarb

A good deal has been written about the military’s recent efforts to “go green,” but Fred Kaplan’s piece for Slate last week is unique in its exploration of the potential civilian benefits of such an initiative. Kaplan does well to delineate the military’s history as a robust market for innovative technologies, driving up demand and down costs:

“In the last half-century, many of the United States’ great technological breakthroughs have been made possible because of the demand created by large-scale government projects—which, in this country, has mainly meant military and space projects… In this same way, the military’s demand for renewable-energy technologies today could create the conditions for a wide commercial market in the years ahead.”

Also important is his recognition of the policy advantages of housing such large scale projects within the Department of Defense.  Whereas Department of Energy programs face financial uncertainty, see ARPA-E, DoD programs enjoy long term funding because of the uniquely insulated nature of defense spending.

Policy stability is currently one of the foremost concerns of the U.S. clean energy industry.  With crucial stimulus initiatives set to expire and no new energy bills on the horizon, the military could be one of the few places for the clean energy industry to turn.   As the Breakthrough Institute noted yesterday, military funding for the “advanced demonstration and early commercialization of promising clean energy technologies, particularly those with dual-use military applications,” may be essential in the near future.  It is the dual nature of DoD work – that its technology initiatives regularly benefit the national defense and civilian economy – that gives the DoD its unique freedoms.  In the past, Kaplan shows, the DoD’s unique attributes have allowed it to house long term and capital intensive projects when others were unwilling or unable:

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New report encourages energy innovation as Defense Department priority

On 07.29.10, In Events, News, Reports, By Staff
The 14 MW solar farm at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada demonstrates the potential for further energy innovation opportunities within the Department of Defense.

The 14 MW solar farm at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada demonstrates the potential for further energy innovation opportunities within the Department of Defense.

With Congress demurring once again on comprehensive energy innovation reform, creative and practical thinking will be necessary to build America’s clean energy economy. One opportunity often overlooked is to leverage the Department of Defense (DOD), a traditional engine of American innovation,for the task.

Along these lines, the CNA Military Advisory Board today debuted their new report, Powering America’s Economy: Energy Innovation at the Crossroad of National Security Challenges, at an event at the Russell Senate office building. The new report–which foreshadows an upcoming AEL report–explores the growing challenges presented by the close connection between the U.S. energy portfolio and its economic and national security.

As the largest single energy consumer in the nation, the report finds that Department of Defense (DOD) can play a key role in supporting innovation, commercialization, and widespread deployment of clean energy. The report further examines how DOD can harness the leadership characteristics inherent to the military culture, leverage its organizational discipline, and cultivate strategic relationships within the federal interagency network to move America forward in clean energy technology innovation. The briefing–headlined by Sherri Goodman (CNA Senior Vice President), Vice Admiral Dennis McGinn (U.S. Navy Ret.; member of CNA Military Advisory Board), Brigadier General Gerald E. Galloway (U.S. Army Ret.; member of CNA Military Advisory Board), Dr. Dorothy Robyn (Deputy Under Secretary for Installations and Environment, U.S. Department of Defense), and Dr. Henry Kelly (Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy)–made a case for expanding federal support for energy research, development, demonstration and deployment at the DOD, as well as a more collaborative relationship with the Department of Energy (DOE).

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