Green Energy has the Potential to Save Lives in Afghanistan
Marines enlist green energy in the Afghanistan war effort – The Desert Sun
By the numbers:
- 200,000 – Gallons of fuel it takes to power the war in Afghanistan on a daily basis.
- 90 – The number of trucks sometimes required to fill a supply convoy carrying water and fuel in Afghanistan.
- 75 – The percent of military fatalities in Afghanistan caused by IEDs this year.
An Experimental Forward Operating Base (ExFOB), powered by solar energy, tested in California and en route to Afghanistan, earned the approval of the 150 marines training within its confines, and who will also use it in the combat-zone. ExFOB has great potential to save lives, taking many convoy trucks off the road. (In 2010 alone, IEDs have been responsible for the deaths of 182 servicemen and women, wounding an additional 1,303.) Stated Gunnery Sgt. Jason Parrish,
‘That’s 90 vehicles that are susceptible to (improvised explosive devices)… if we can reduce that in half, that’s a combat lifesaver.’
An added — and important — bonus: solar panels provide shade not previously present in Afghanistan’s desert. According to Maj. Sean Sadlier,
‘The morale was higher. The camp without (renewable energy) didn’t have any shade.’
Solar-powered generators and water-cooling systems — capable of cooling 100 degree water by 60 degrees in two hours, are already proving a success in Haiti’s rebuilding efforts; they hold great promise to also improve conditions and save lives in combat missions abroad.
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Colleges will play a huge role in our future energy endeavors as a country. It’s very important that our universities contine to train students for a greener future
Great ideas and new, improved technology is coming to the renewable energy field at a fast pace. Even with the setbacks, alternative energy will soon overtake oil.