Green Defense Technology

The challenges of sustainability are becoming more apparent and changes need to take place in how we organise collectively. This book stems from and builds on a collaboration and collective learning between the military and the civilian world in order to facilitate discussion of the current state of triple net zero and long-term and sustainable energy strategies. It is widely recognized that implementation of policies to benefit environmental sustainability, energy security, and preparedness at both military installations and small cities are imperative, since energy is intricately linked to the entire set of net zero goals and vision. Here the focus is especially on learning from best practices across these two domains.

What does and would a Triple Net Zero installation mean to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)? This question and many more of a similar nature have been discussed in NATO only recently. The increased cost of traditional fossil fuels, environmental concerns and the instability in certain regions of geopolitical interest are a few reasons that NATO may be looking at concepts such as Triple Net Zero, Net Zero or Sustainable Camp policy in the future. It is also the pressure from nations, which has sparked interest in such concepts within NATO and Partner nations. Such concepts do come with the challenges of structure, terminology, and NATO policy and doctrine, all of which will be further elaborated in the subsequent paragraphs.

This Chapter provides definitions of Net Zero Energy Community and different energy parameters which can be used to define community specific energy system(s) optimization goals, i.e. primary and site energy, energy efficiency, energy security, energy independence and energy system resilience.

This section introduces a concept and steps of successful Energy Master Planning process: setting energy goals and study boundaries, co-benefits of energy master planning, data required for establishing the Baseline, establishing the Base-Case and alternative scenarios, definition and implementation of a roadmap to net zero energy communities, its major milestones and setting targets for individual projects.

This chapter introduces Urban Energy Planning (UEP), which addresses energy action plans (“Master Plans”) for whole cities, and Local Energy Planning (LEP), considering neighborhood energy plans. Illustrating the term “integrated planning”, the approach to combine energy conservation and energy supply optimization in iterative steps is exemplified using results of an optimization procedure for a residential neighborhood in the City of Karlsruhe, Germany. Also, using results from Case Studies carried out within the framework of an IEA project on “Energy Efficient Communities”, a comparison of three of these cases is presented using the methods introduced, which illustrates the results that can be achieved with very different energy technologies and which provides the means to benchmark their primary energy performance.

Major building renovations provide an excellent opportunity to implement DER projects, since much of the work necessary to prepare the DER is to be done anyway: the building is typically vacated and is gutted; scaffolding is installed; single-pane and damaged windows are often scheduled for replacement; building envelope insulation is considered; and most of mechanical, electrical lighting, and energy conversion systems (e.g., boiler and chillers), and connecting ducts, pipes, and wires will be replaced anyway. Therefore, a significant sum of money covering the cost of energy-related scope of the renovation designed to meet minimum energy code. In this chapter an overview is provided on the major components to be considered in a Deep Energy Retrofit (DER), their cost effectiveness and findings from accomplished DER projects.

This chapter focuses on renewable energy options for military installations. It discusses typical renewable technologies, project development, and gives examples. Renewable energy can be combined with conventional energy sources to provide part or all of the energy demand at an installation. The appropriate technology mix for an installation will depend on site-specific factors such as renewable resources, energy costs, local energy policies and incentives, available land, mission compatibility, and other factors. The objective of this chapter is to provide basic background information and resources on renewable energy options for NATO leaders and energy personnel.

This section introduces different energy modeling tools available in Europe and the USA for community energy master planning process varying from strategic Urban Energy Planning to more detailed Local Energy Planning. Two modeling tools used for Energy Master Planning of primarily residential communities, the 3D city model with CityGML, and the Net Zero Planner tool developed for the US Department of Defense installations are described in more details.

The US Army has been a leader in developing net zero installations. This chapter provides lessons learned from the Army program to support NATO installations with their net zero energy efforts.

This chapter describes recent advances of water systems in the net-zero paradigm, across industrial, government, and military applications. The elements of the chapter are definitions, innovations, assessment methods, best practices, case studies, evaluation of investments, strategic plans, and challenges for future work. The chapter benefited from discussion and shared experience of about 50 participants in a NATO workshop convened in Sonderborg, Denmark, in February 2015. The chapter authors were the participants of the workshop specifically asked to address issues of water systems.

Net Zero Waste can be interpreted to indicate strategies for minimizing and/or eliminating solid waste production (through source reduction, recycling, repurposing, etc.) though emerging interpretations exist which link life cycles of materials with water and energy as well. Improved management of waste begins with assessment of waste streams and identification of suitable measures to avoid, divert, or process it other than through disposal. Public and private entities alike seek ways to limit waste production for the sake of efficiency, in terms of financial performance (eliminating unecessary costs, and reducing risks or liabilities such as environmental cleanup) and sustainability (avoiding hazardous substances and reducing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions). Administrative protocols for classifying and handling “waste” derive from early environmental policies; at times the protocols seem to inhibit attempts to repurpose or reuse items classified as waste, even when technically and financially feasible. Efforts to convert solid waste for energy production (biogas and/or thermal outputs) may be advantageous. Methods to link water, energy, and materials management pose the potential to reconfigure current systems and provide integrated net zero results. Special material flows relevant to military facilities, and to similar civilian settings, pose potential for improved net zero management. Rare earth elements, heavy metals, and other substances ubiquitous in electronics can be recovered economically and new equipment is increasingly manufactured to simplify their extraction and recycling. Improved life cycle consideration, including integrating resource management linked to water and energy, can aid in identifying technical and financial solutions to implement strategies for net zero waste.

Cities are the engines of economic growth and hubs that drive research and development. They are also big consumers of energy and other resources and consequently produce of greenhouse gas emissions as well as other environmental waste and pollution. In many instances, permanent military installations resemble smaller cities. Planning is crucial in both cities and military installations. In this chapter, we approach planning from a perspective of management, as an activity or a process of thinking about and organising the activities required to achieve a desired goal. We explore a number of successful cases in cities and military installations to see what the lessons learned and transferred.

When attempting to raise awareness about environmental issues, it is important to recognize that the role of the Armed Forces is directly informed by democratic mandate, geared to underpin stability, provide security, and undertake operational missions as required. It can be argued that part of that security and stability involves responding to threats presented by climate change by adopting a Triple Zero approach towards its own consumption of energy and water as well as generation of waste. However a top down technological strategy is unlikely to succeed. Instead there is a need for well-informed communication combined with participatory decision-making to develop trust and good faith to implement a Triple Zero approach to the environment. The tools and techniques available to embark on such a strategy are described in the following pages.