$26 a gallon?! Navy's 'Green Fleet' meets stiff headwinds

Reuters ^ | 7/2/2012 | David Alexander

[kingattax]

A U.S. Navy oiler slipped away from a fuel depot on the Puget Sound in Washington state one recent day, headed toward the central Pacific and into the storm over the Pentagon's controversial green fuels initiative.

In its tanks, the USNS Henry J. Kaiser carried nearly 900,000 gallons of biofuel blended with petroleum to power the cruisers, destroyers and fighter jets of what the Navy has taken to calling the "Great Green Fleet," the first carrier strike group to be powered largely by alternative fuels.

Conventionally powered ships and aircraft in the strike group will burn the blend in an operational setting for the first time this month during the 22-nation Rim of the Pacific exercise, the largest annual international maritime warfare maneuvers. The six-week exercise began on Friday.

The Pentagon hopes it can prove the Navy looks as impressive burning fuel squeezed from seeds, algae and chicken fat as it does using petroleum.

But the demonstration, years in the making, may be a Pyrrhic victory.

[stuartcr]

Probably wouldn’t come up with the required data, besides, if they’re going to spend that much, they should do it on active vessels, not something tied up to the pier.

[Iron Munro]

It is time to start lopping off heads.

[Iron Munro]

We are lucky Obama (the smartest president EVER!) didn’t think of saving Solyndra by demanding the military put Solyndra solar panels on the F-22 and the newest Virginia-class attack submarines.

[upchuck]

Here's some info on Solazyme:

Another prominent DOE recipient in the world of blue-green sludge? San Francisco-based Solazyme. The manufacturer of algae-based renewable fuels has scooped up more than $21 million in federal stimulus grants and contracts. Solazyme's ties to the White House and the Democratic establishment in Washington are myriad. As blogger J.E. Dyer at HotAir.com ... reported in December, Solazyme's "strategic advisers" include TJ Glauthier -- a member of the Obama presidential transition team who just happened to work "on the energy-sector portion of the 2009 stimulus bill."

Source.

As usual with the Chicago mob, follow the money.

[SaraJohnson]

I guess the military has to do whatever Obama orders, even if it kills them just as we all have to do whatever he orders in health care even if it kills us. This is what it is like to have an inbred royal in power.

[xzins]

As a green alternative, this experiment is a disaster.

As a military retiree, I am, however, interested that our defense machine can still operate if for some reason our access to petroleum became limited.

I’m not real sure what doomsday scenario would call for it, but if in that scenario we’re down to seeds and garbage to run our ships, then I’m glad we’ve figured out how to make our ships run on seeds and garbage.

[TurboZamboni]

That used to be what the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was allegedly for.
Now it's just another political re-election tool.
(”we'll release this fuel to lower gas prices!”)

[A.A. Cunningham]

There’s already enough data to know that “green fuel” works. There’s also enough data to know that “green fuel” is a waste of money due to the exorbitant cost.

[Alter Kaker]

Count me in the minority here — but I think the Navy is right. This isn’t about saving money or saving the whales, this is about national security. A huge percentage of the world’s oil comes from the Arabs, Russia and Venezuela. Ensuring that the Navy’s operations aren’t jeopardized by an embargo makes sense.

[cableguymn]

Everything you just said would be a non issue if we drilled here for the oil we know is down there.

You have just provided a red Haring.

[Chode]

i take it you didn't read post #12...

[Scrambler Bob]

Would that ship be the USS Umbilicus?

[stuartcr]

Ok. Let the navy know of your findings.

[stuartcr]

Ok. Let the navy know of your findings.

[OneWingedShark]

I wonder how long it will take for stories to start appearing about these ships suddenly needing emergency engine overhauls?

They probably won't; Diesel engines are pretty dang robust. So much so that I am somewhat confused as to why these are costing so much... especially when you can look up on the internet people making their own.