MILITARY BUYING HAWAII BIOFUELS

Hawaii crops, algae may get funded for military biofuel; Pentagon makes big push for ways to cut dependence on oil
William Cole, April 3, 2010 (Honolulu Advertiser)

"The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Navy are hoping to jumpstart the growth of crops and algae in Hawai'i that can be used for military fuel as part of an aggressive drive by the Pentagon to reduce its dependence on foreign oil and increase renewable energy sources…The Navy and the Agriculture Department want to evaluate the use of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding to [as soon as possible] set up biofuel projects in Hawai'i…

"How much funding remains unclear, but Hawai'i was selected for the initial collaboration between the two federal entities…[because its 90% reliance on imported oil makes the possibility of growing economically-viable biofuels more likely]…Hawai'i's biofuel crop pursuit is in its infancy, and challenges include the need to build an entire pipeline — crop selection, growth and refinement of oils — to start satisfying Navy needs."

click to enlarge
click to enlarge

"But the U.S. military is moving aggressively toward renewable energy sources — and the demand for it…The Air Force recently flew an A-10 Thunderbolt II on a biofuel blend of oil from camelina, a plant related to mustard, and conventional JP-8 jet fuel…Tests with F-15 and F-22 fighters and C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes are expected to follow.

"The Navy, meanwhile, is expanding tests of biofuel blends in marine gas turbines that it uses in the surface fleet and tactical vehicles…On Earth Day, which is April 22, the Navy will fly a "Green" Hornet F/A-18 on a biofuel and jet fuel mix…By 2016, the Navy wants to deploy a "Great Green Fleet" that will be powered entirely by alternative fuels…"

President Obama with the "Green" Hornet F/A-18 (click to enlarge)

"…[Hawai’I] has some biofuel production, but most of it comes from waste cooking oil and not from crops or algae…The U.S. military consumes about 80 million gallons of jet fuel a year in Hawai'i…Dovetailing with the military's pursuit of biofuel crops is interest by Hawaiian Electric..[which] is looking for a long-term supply of biofuels made from feedstocks produced and processed in Hawai'i…What Hawai'i farmers could grow [is undetermined]…

"The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is betting on algae. DARPA [expects] large-scale refining operations nationwide could within a few years produce 50 million gallons of fuel per year…The goal is to get algae jet fuel down to $3 or below per gallon…[A]bout eight companies [are] either doing or planning to do algae work in Hawai'i…[T]he Navy [will also] grow [northern Europe’s] camelina in Hawai'i to make biofuel…[It] grows up to 3 feet tall and has seeds containing 35 percent oil…[Also possible is] jatropha, a shrubby tree that grows on arid land and is suited to the tropics and subtropics, and whose seeds also are a source of biofuel…"