Security

Going Solar in Baghdad

U.S. forces in Iraq are pouring funds into a new effort to tap the power of the sun. In northwest Baghdad, one Army brigade is planning to spend up to $6 million on solar power projects to help provide backup power for essential services. James Warden of Stars & Stripes reports: U.S. forces are overseeing […]

Dsc_0595_solar_lamp U.S. forces in Iraq are pouring funds into a new effort to tap the power of the sun. In northwest Baghdad, one Army brigade is planning to spend up to $6 million on solar power projects to help provide backup power for essential services.

James Warden of Stars & Stripes reports:

U.S. forces are overseeing nearly two dozen solar projects in the northwest section of Baghdad alone. Planners are increasingly turning to the technology as a way to alleviate Iraq’s electricity crisis until the country’s traditional power plants are producing sufficient power.

As Warden notes, solar power is not exactly a new tool for the U.S. military: In Baghdad, for instance, the U.S. government has paid for solar-powered streetlamps (seen in the background here) to boost local security and help keep insurgents off the street. But this ambitious push for renewable energy is supposed to provide backup power for sewage pumps and medical clinics.

During my recent visit to Baghdad's Sadr City, the top local complaint to the U.S. Army commander was electricity -- or the lack thereof. Power from the national grid could be spotty and unreliable, particularly during the summer months, when demand for air conditioning surged. The U.S. military has also funded microgeneration projects to bring power to neighborhoods.

But the military's interest in green tech is not limited to Iraq. NATO forces in Afghanistan are using solar-powered streetlamps as a security tool. And as Noah reported last year, the Army is planningto build one of the world's most powerful solar arrays.

[PHOTO: Nathan Hodge]

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