U.S. Air Force cracks Top-20 list for green power

"U.S. Air Force cracks Top-20 list for green power(By Tina Casey via CleanTechnica)Joining the ranks of such green notables as San Francisco and Portland,
Oregon, the U.S. Air Force has made the top 20 List of On-Site Green Power
Purchasers. The quarterly list is a subset of the U.S. EPA's Green Power
Partnership program. It includes organizations, businesses or government
entities that purchase sustainable power from sources based in the U.S.A.,
either directly or through the use of Renewable Energy Certificates.U.S. Air Force Bases Go GreenThe U.S. Air Force won its 13th place slot for sustainable energy actions
dating back to 2002, when the Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico began
purchasing wind power. Since then, wind power has played the pivotal role.
Among a number of bases entering the wind market since 2002, Fairchild Air
Force Base in Washington State gets almost 100% of its power from green
sources, primarily wind. Dyess Air Force Base in Texas also gets 100% of
its electricity from wind. Solar and other green sources are playing a
part, too. For example, Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas gets 40% of its
electricity from biomass.U.S. Air Force Supporting Local Green JobsAside from reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, a number of the
Air Force's wind purchases have gone to support local wind power
installations at the start-up level. One good example is the Ellsworth Air
Force Base in South Dakota, home to the 28th Bomb Wing. The base jumped on
the opportunity to contract with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe as one of the
first customers for its new 750 KW wind turbine, which helped to prove the
utility scale viability of perhaps the most underused major energy resource
in the U.S. The Department of Energy estimates that wind power in the Great
Plains region alone has the potential to generate more than 300 gigawatts
of electricity, roughly half of the entire existing generating capacity in
this country.U.S. Air Force Turns Blue Skies GreenThough not included in the Top 20 On-Site criteria, the Air Force's work in
developing alternative aviation fuels is also a significant step forward.
Solar powered drones, solar-hydrogen fuel cell blimps, and synthetic diesel
are just a few examples. The Air Force also wins green points for nature
conservation, as illustrated most recently by the military's efforts to
fight urban sprawl around Camp Bullis in San Antonio, a multi-use training
ground (including the Air Force) that happens to be an important habitat
for the endangered golden cheeked warbler.For the very latest green jobs from across The U.S. and globally please
click here"