US military adopts renewable energy

New York Times : As a practical necessity, the US military is going green. Military commanders are recognizing that an overdependence on fossil fuels is a liability for a number of reasons: Fuel-supply convoys are sitting ducks for enemy insurgents, fossil fuels often come from unstable regions, the fuels are cumbersome to transport, and guarding the fuel ties up manpower. Last week the first Marine company to take renewable technology into a battle zone set off with portable solar panels, energy-conserving lights, and solar chargers. Last year the US Navy introduced its first hybrid vessel, and the US Air Force will have its entire fleet certified to fly on biofuels by 2011. The military’s interest in those products “may make renewable energy more practical and affordable for everyday uses,” writes the New York Times‘s Elisabeth Rosenthal.