The United States Air Force is using its influence as the biggest consumer of energy in the country to drive a number of innovative environmental initiatives and projects aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions and converting waste to energy.

Some ideas to reduce energy use and carbon offloading involve the possibility of constructing waste-to-energy plants on two major Air Force bases in Nevada and Florida, as well as the use of synthetic fuels derived from non-petroleum sources.

"We see ourselves because of our size as a customer. And customers can drive the market," says William C. Anderson, the Air Force's Assistant Secretary for Installations, Environment and Logistics. "The Air Force [purchase] of jet fuel every year represents 10 percent of the entire US domestic jet fuel market. When you're that big you can use your clout as a customer to move the market."

One idea for fuel production involves deriving liquid fuels from either coal, natural gas, or biomass, although Anderson believes the most likely source will be "clean" coal.

"Currently in this country, the best alternative is coal," he says. "The largest deposits of coal are in the United States. The United States is referred to (by the energy industry) as the Saudi Arabia of coal."

The process of clean coal production involves "gasifying" coal—a fossil fuel—in order to remove and capture intrinsic impurities such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, which are harmful by-products of coal combustion. Although the coal industry has been touting the use of clean coal as an energy source, many environmental groups like the Sierra Club claim there can be no such thing as clean coal.  And since clean coal production does nothing to offset harmful carbon dioxide emissions believed to amplify Global Warming, the solution is unacceptable.

On the flip side of the argument is Anderson, who contends that carbon dioxide emissions from coal can be isolated, stored, and later recycled for use in producing jet fuels.   

"What we are suggesting is that it can be captured," said Anderson. "Carbon still has energy in it. How can you use the CO2 to create more energy? One alternative is to combine it with hydrogen and you can make more jet fuel.

What I'm talking about will not reduce the emissions out of the tailpipe. It significantly reduces the emissions in the manufacturing process. We're trying to ratchet it down. We're not going to eliminate all CO2, obviously."

But it’s not all about coal. In addition to being the largest purchaser of wind energy in the country, the Air Force also hosts a 14-megawatt solar panel array—the largest in the Americas—at its Nellis base outside Las Vegas, Nevada. The site of the array is located on a 140-acre former landfill. Cheap land plus a cheap fuel source (the sun) equates to cheap energy…and that’s something everyone can agree is a good idea.

As Air Force bases are the size of small towns, energy management is a critical component of the base’s day-to-day operations and a major contributor to its costs. With alternative energy technologies becoming cost competitive and outstanding Executive Orders to reduce energy use wherever possible, energy management efforts in the Air Force are getting a second wind.

"We have people living, working, going to school, day care, fire stations, police stations and retail,” said Anderson. “So it allows us to pursue energy projects like a city would, and we've been doing that. We spend a billion dollars a year on installation energy."

Negotiations are currently underway to build two large, commercial-scale waste-to-energy facilities at bases in Abilene, Texas and Destin, Florida. Although still in the very early planning stages, the project moves the Air Force one step closer to sustainability by allowing it to host waste energy production facilities on its own land.  In the past, the Air Force bought the energy produced from combusted landfill waste from third parties.  

"We keep jamming [waste] into landfills, and the world is running out of landfills," Anderson says. "If you can find a way to safely burn the trash you in essence do two things: you reduce the load on landfills—which is a real goodness—and you generate more energy—another goodness."

The Air Force also lauds the security benefits of using domestically produced energy and jet fuel, claiming that bases will be less dependent on the power grid, which can be vulnerable to attack or failure. Once more, domestic energy facilities are more easily defended than international ones.

"If we can find domestically produced fuel sources, reduce our dependency on foreign oil—no matter where it comes from—it puts us in a better strategic military position," he says. "And if we can install generation capacity on our bases...that will make it much more secure."

Among the top 25 purchasers of alternative energy in the country, the Air Force’s environmental efforts have garnered praise from other feds.  In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), awarded them the Green Power Leadership Award for the advancement of green power initiatives.

"The Air Force is very proud of its 30-year commitment to environmental stewardship," says Anderson. "We've got to look at these new energy sources through an environmental lens. And we believe if we do the right kind of research...we can make cleaner energy out of every energy source, including coal. We are not out there just to mess with the environment. We are out there to find cleaner ways to use energy sources that are available."