It's gotta be more than ho-hum(mer)

"Nothing - I mean nothing - will make you a believer in distributed solar power faster than having responsibility for trucking fuel across Iraq", pointed out Tom Friedman in his latest version of Hot, Flat and Crowded. Mr Friedman keenly observed that if the U.S. Army's attempt to out-green al-Qaeda is successful, it could be the push that is needed to make renewable resources more than just a radical idea whose time has yet to come. But recent military projects, such as the 14 thousand acre, 500 megawatt solar energy farm at Fort Irwin California, could certainly indicate a turn toward that direction. But, it's going to take more than that to make the leap to mainstream.

Arnold Schwartzenegger is given credit for bringing the Hummer
over to the civilian world from the military, but it wasn't done so without adding a health dose of comfort and a softer sense of style. Whether the Hummer appeals to your tastes or not is another story. But the innefficiencies built into the vehicle were difficult to overlook for too long - even for the Governator. So in 2004, GM developed a hydrogen powered version for Arnold with a claimed zero emissions. In theory this is a perfect Green Zone Solution: renewable resources (hydrogen), combined with solid reliability (military design) with a level of comfort and design that is appealing (to me, anyway). But there are problems with the Hydrogen Hummer, namely a lack of infrastructure to support refueling and an undisclosed price point that is likely unaffordable for most - but it's a start.

An announcement was in February of this year that the Army will be receiving $3.6 billion of the recent stimulus package that will be dedicated toward new green energy projects like portable wind stations, more efficient vehicles and trash-powered generators. Perhaps as the military continues to break new ground in renewable energy research and builds equipment that is expected to perform at high standards in harsh environments, the private sector can continue to look for opportunities to make the products available and (eventually) more affordable -  Renewable, Reliable and Remarkable.