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Armies around the world go green to save fuel – and lives
- Detaljer
- Publisert tirsdag 11. oktober 2011 19:31
The world’s most powerful armies are going green and reducing dependency on fossil fuels seems to be their main objective. The United States armed forces, one of the largest single energy consumers, are looking at renewable jet fuels for aircraft that use algae or vegetable and animal oils. Almost all fighter planes of Britain’s Royal Air Force have been certified to fly entirely on bio-fuels, when they are available, and researchers are looking into solar-powered unmanned attack aircraft.
Taking a cue, Indian armed forces too have embarked on a drive to save fuel. In what is seen as a major eco-friendly step towards renewable energy generation in the country, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is experimenting with bio-diesel for military vehicles.
The Pentagon, headquarters of the US department of defence, intends to get a quarter of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. It is inducting electric cars for use on its bases, and is developing hybrid armoured vehicles for the battlefield. Within next five years, it plans to fly its planes on a 50/50 blend of ordinary fuel and bio-fuel, probably made from algae. US military personnel in Afghanistan have plans to use cottonseed oil as bio-fuel. Within the past year and a half, the soldiers in Afghanistan have been involved in two major experiments using bio-fuel: testing focused largely on two pieces of equipment – light armoured vehicles (LAV) and generators – using bio-fuel blends composed of 80% diesel or jet fuel and 20% vegetable oil.
Green fuel, also known as biofuel, is a type of fuel distilled from plants and animal materials, believed by some to be more environmentally friendly than the widely-used fossil fuels that power most of the world. In the desperate search for alternative energy sources, green fuel has evolved as a possible fueling option as the world drains its fossil fuel resources. In creating basic forms of biofuel, crops are broken down into two types: sugar producing and oil producing. Sugar and starch producing crops, such as sugar cane or corn, are put through a fermentation process to create ethanol.