Leaders of the U.S. Navy recently met to discuss ways to get those who sail the oceans blue into GREENER alternative fuels, including biodiesel.
Participants in the recent Navy Energy Forum in Washington, D.C. included Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus as the group discussed his goal of making sure that half of the service’s total energy consumption comes from alternative sources by 2020:
“I am excited about what we’ve done with biofuels, because I think this has the potential to make a big, long-term dent in our fossil fuel usage,” said Mabus. “We conducted a supersonic flight of the Green Hornet in the spring on a 50-50 blend of camelina-based biofuel and JP-5. Biofuel testing has continued, and last week the first operational test of an algae-based biofuel was conducted on a Riverine Combat Boat (RCB-X) in Hampton Roads. In both cases, for the Green Hornet and the RCB-X, the engines didn’t know the difference.”
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead spoke about how improving energy security ultimately supports the Navy’s overall goals.
“The Green Hornet and the path to a green fleet are not public relation gimmicks, but epitomize our new energy research, development, policy, and operations – that in and of themselves are the first stakes in the ground towards which we will work in the best interests of our Navy and nation,” said Roughead. “It’s more than simply how green can we be seen, it really is an operational issue for us.”