US departments sign alternative fuel agreement

The US Department of Defence is continuing its efforts to ensure a substantial proportion of Navy facilities use biofuel by signing a new agreement with the Department of Energy.

In an article for the Cnet Green Tech blog, Martin LaMonica explained the two departments will work on developing energy storage systems that can be used at Navy bases around the world.

The Navy has set the target of making half of its facilities zero net energy consumers by 2020 and to source 50 per cent of the power it uses from alternatives such as biodiesel.

"Every time we make changes to improve the efficiencies of our engines or systems or we use alternative sources of power, we get better and we make people safer," observed US Navy secretary Ray Mabus, who was commenting at the ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit.

Also speaking at the event was senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who outlined the importance biofuel and other energy sources can have for US security.

Former governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger and Steven Chu of the Department of Energy were among the other attendees at the summit.