August 4, 2010
The United States is getting serious about Energy Independence, as evidenced by a White House forum of over 130 stakeholders last week. Included in the discussion were civilian and uniformed officials from U.S. armed services and the Department of Defense, representatives from the Department of Energy, business leaders, and think tanks. The stakeholders came together to discuss the future and importance of clean energy for national security.
Despite the nation’s efforts, we have a long way to go to ensure Energy Independence, according to Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus. In his keynote address, he highlighted the Navy’s efforts to green its practices, including using biofuels to power jets, testing efficiency technologies, but emphasized the importance of going further and going faster. The Department of Energy’s Deputy Secretary, Dan Poneman, urged our nation to think about our current energy challenges as opportunities for greater energy security.
And there is indeed a long way to go. According to the Department of Defense, the military uses 300,000 barrels of oil per day. This equals more than $1.3 billion in additional costs that the Department of Defense pays for energy, according to Poneman. These are more than numbers. This represents the impact of fossil fuels we burn and greenhouse gases we emit daily, and the reallocation of critical funds to fossil fuels.
The U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy have both signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which states their shared commitment to work together to achieve Energy Independence – not only to create green jobs in a clean economy, but also to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and ensure security against foreign nations.
“Changing the way energy is used and produced in our country is the right thing to do,” U.S. Navy Secretary Mabus declared in his opening remarks, “It’s the right thing to do for our security, it’s the right thing to do for our economy, and it’s the right thing to do for our environment.”
We here at SunRun completely agree. By bringing affordable solar power to homeowners everywhere, we join the Department of Defense and Energy in their commitment to Energy Independence.
