[CPEO-MEF] ENERGY: Operating installations off the grid

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Clean energy doesn't always bring security for military

Annie Snider
Greenwire
January 27, 2012

Just north of Las Vegas, a shimmering array of solar panels captures  
energy from the blazing sun to power some of the Air Force's most  
advanced work, including testing and flying drones.

Nellis Air Force Base's 14.2-megawatt solar power plant has been  
lauded by the military as a showpiece of a sweeping effort to boost  
energy security and resilience at bases by integrating renewable  
energy. Bases get 99 percent of their electricity from the commercial  
grid, which officials increasingly acknowledge is vulnerable to  
everything from storms to terrorist attacks. Wind, solar and biomass  
plants on military facilities can provide vital power if the local  
grid goes down, they say.

But the 140 acres of solar panels at Nellis are useless when  
commercial power is out, thanks to a provision in the project's  
agreement with the local utility that lets NV Energy turn off the  
array if the grid goes down.

...

For the entire article, see
http://www.eenews.net/public/Greenwire/2012/01/27/1

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
278-A Hope St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/961-8918
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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