The US Defense Department has made great strides toward increasing its usage of renewable energy sources. In 2005, DOD generated over 8% of its electricity from renewable sources, and issued an internal memo urging pursuit of the goal of generating or acquiring 25% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
The US Senate passed a new amendment last week that would make this goal law. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and co-sponsored by Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), is an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization bill and was passed Tuesday with unanimous consent. . .
“As the federal government’s largest consumer of energy, the Defense Department can be at the vanguard of renewable energy consumption,†Menendez said. “The federal government must lead by example if more American businesses and families are to increase their usage of renewable energy.â€
The Department of Defense is the federal government’s most prolific user of electricity, using 55 percent of the government’s total consumption. By using renewable sources of electricity, the Defense Department would greatly impact the government’s overall demand for electricity. Renewable sources of energy include wind, solar, biomass, landfill gas, ocean, geothermal, municipal solid waste, and new hydroelectric generation capacity.