Wright-Patt leading many alternative-energy efforts

By  Ron Fry Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio  -- The Air Force is at the forefront of many Department of Defense energy initiatives.

Most are either happening, or are managed, right here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The Air Force Materiel Command oversees the development and testing of alternative fuels for Air Force aircraft.

And, because the Air Force has worked hand-in-hand with the commercial aviation industry on development of biofuels, we anticipate fuel producers will respond by bringing them to market sooner, reducing U.S. demand for foreign oil and increasing supply using domestic, renewable sources.

We are seeking more "green" ways to power our fighters, bombers, transports and remotely piloted aircraft. In fact, one of the command's five priorities is to conserve resources.

Here are a few more nuggets of success:

•  The Air Force's A-10 flight at Eglin AFB, Fla., on March 25, 2010, marked the first time an aircraft's (Air Force or Navy) only fuel source was a 50/50 blend of conventional and biomass-based fuel.
• In August, a C-17 test flight at Edwards AFB, Calif., used a blend of JP-8 jet fuel, biomass-based renewable fuel and Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuel to power the aircraft.
• In November, a Global Hawk became the first remotely piloted aircraft to use the JP-8/ Fischer-Tropsch fuel blend, completing two flight-test sorties (46 hours total) at Edwards AFB.
• The Air Force Fuel Certification Office has certified more than 95 percent of the Air Force fleet, including all fighter aircraft, for unrestricted operations using a blend of Fischer-Tropsch and JP-8.
• Since 2007, all Air Force construction projects are required to use the U.S. Green Building Council's energy-efficiency designs.
• More than 40 installations and radar sites produce renewable energy using wind turbines, solar arrays, landfill gas generators or ground-source heat pumps.
• The Air Force's first biomass plants are in development at Eglin AFB and Robins AFB, Ga.
• The Air Force has identified 15 solar projects it hopes to construct and bring on line by 2013.
• Also, the Air Force Research Laboratory headquartered here at Wright-Patt is a DOD leader in energy initiatives.

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