The Pentagon will be adding more massive solar panel grid fields to their military bases this week. This is only the latest in a series of newly announced solar projects, part of a military-wide renewable-energy binge that has been gaining intensity in recent months.
The Pentagon has been making a push towards renewable energy due to the fear of cyber attacks on traditional electrical grids. The Pentagon believes this is a step in a positive direction and the Navy alone, is on track to produce more than a gigawatt of electricity by 2020.
The Clean Power Plan regulations adopted by the Environmental Protection Agency last month requires states to cut back on pollutants from power plants but the Pentagon believes their changes have predated these new regulations.
While these regulations are still being fought about in congress, the eco-friendly angle wasn’t the only reason for the Pentagon’s switch. Multiple internal studies have documented the military’s vulnerability to disruptions to the power supply as well as long-term impacts from global warming.