Farmers Fueling Fleets: Biofuel Powers U.S. Navy
Far from the heart of soybean country, San Diego-based retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Len Hering has a message for the nation’s soybean farmers: “You are the warriors of the next war for independence.”
The “next war for independence” to which Hering refers is decreasing America’s reliance on petroleum-based fuel sources. Hering is all too familiar with this effort himself. While actively serving in the Navy years ago, he began to advocate that biodiesel could and should be used in certain non-tactical vehicles. But it was a tall task.
“It was difficult to convince engineers and others that we needed to embark on that journey,” he says.
But his perseverance paid off, and, by 2005, most of the diesel-powered non-tactical Navy and Marine Corps vehicles in the southwestern United States ran on biodiesel.
The U.S. Department of Defense is the largest consumer of fossil fuels in the world. Since soybean oil is the primary feedstock for biodiesel, soybean farmers can take pride in knowing that the oil from the crop they raise each year helps fuel America’s military and increase its energy security.
“Biofuels are a bridge moving us away from petroleum-based fuel,” says Hering.
Hering believes it is important for farmers and those invested in the biofuels industry to persevere as well, convincing others that biofuels are a viable alternative to petroleum-based fuel.
“(Biofuels) represent a step in the right direction for the long-term security of the nation,” he says. “Fossil fuel is a finite resource. This is an alternative that provides us with continued opportunity and prosperity.”
Moving non-tactical vehicles to biofuel products was not the last stop on the path to sustainability for the Navy. It plans to launch the “Great Green Fleet” in 2016, whereby all vehicles involved – ships and aircraft included – will be fueled by renewable fuels.
The Navy is not the only branch focused on increased sustainability. The entire U.S. Department of Defense is engaging in sustainable energy technology, says Hering. As one example, in 2010 and again in 2011 , Air Force and Navy pilots broke the sound barrier in supersonic combat aircraft powered by a 50/50 blend of biofuel and traditional petroleum fuel, experiencing no noticeable performance differences.
By: United Soybean Board
