Fort Bragg Chosen for DOE Project

Fort Bragg is one of eight military installations where the U.S. Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Defense will test an emergency backup electricity system.

Known as fuel cells, the system is design to deliver cleaner, more reliable energy than traditional systems.

“The shared vision of the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense for a safe, secure energy future provides us with a strong foundation to work together on specific technologies," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu in a prepared statement. "Projects like these fuel cell systems will help reduce fossil fuel use and improve energy reliability at military installations across the country.”

The fuel cells could have benefits in combat, too.

“America's military pays a high price in terms of added costs, risk of life, and lost operational flexibility to deliver fuel supplies and power to combat forces,” said a spokesperson in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. “Reducing or replacing fossil fuels with clean energy technologies like fuel cells can help address these vulnerabilities and improve energy security at military facilities across the U.S. and ultimately across the globe.”

The spokesperson asked that her name not be used in this report.

The experimental program will test how the fuel cells perform in real world operations, identify any technical improvements manufacturers could make to enhance performance, and highlight the benefits of fuel cells for emergency backup power applications, according to Secretary Chu’s statement. The ultimate goal is to hasten the day the systems are available for widespread use.

Compared with diesel generators, which are often used for backup power, fuel cells use no petroleum, are quieter and produce fewer pollutants and emissions. Fuel cells also typically require less maintenance than either generators or batteries, and can easily be monitored remotely to reduce maintenance time. Their cost has been an issue, but tests like the one at Fort Bragg are designed to bring down costs.

The other military installations that will receive the fuel cell backup power units are:

• Fort Hood, Texas
• The U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York
• Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
• Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey
• Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base, Colorado
• U.S. Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center 29 Palms, California
• The Ohio National Guard, Columbus, Ohio

The eight installations were chosen based on responses from a joint DOD-DOE project proposal request, the statement said. LOGANEnergy of Sandy Springs, Ga., will manage the project, using fuel cells from four manufacturers: ReliOn, Inc. of Spokane, Washington; Altergy Systems of Folsom, California; Idatech, LLC of Bend, Oregon; and Hydrogenics Corporation of Ontario, Canada.

The $6.6 million project is a joint effort by DOD's U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.