US Military Orders Less Dependence On Fossil Fuel 317
Hugh Pickens writes "The NY Times reports that it can cost hundreds of dollars to get each gallon of traditional fuel to forward base camps in Afghanistan, so with enemy fighters increasingly attacking American fuel supply convoys crossing the Khyber Pass from Pakistan, the military is pushing aggressively to develop, test and deploy renewable energy to decrease its need to transport fossil fuels. 'Fossil fuel is the No. 1 thing we import to Afghanistan,' says Ray Mabus, the Navy secretary, 'and guarding that fuel is keeping the troops from doing what they were sent there to do, to fight or engage local people.' The 150 Marines of Company I, Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, will be the first to take renewable technology into a battle zone, bringing portable solar panels that fold up into boxes; energy-conserving lights; solar tent shields that provide shade and electricity; solar chargers for computers and communications equipment replacing diesel and kerosene-based fuels that would ordinarily generate power to run their encampment."
Re:Nuclear Power! (Score:3, Funny)
Magic Beans!
Sorry Sir, you've just had a Glenn Beck moment and done the equivalent of saying you have all the one world government conspirators on tape. You are going to have to name this magical device with model number and manufacturer to retain any credibility. Anything less is decades out so far as reactor design goes.
As for easy transport, I've had enough trouble just carrying very small shielded radiation sources up ladders (gamma ray sources for radiography of welds). Guess what sort of mass heavy metals are? Also guess how heavy lead shielding is.