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The Future of Energy Efficiency in Marine Corps Forward Operating Bases

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Marine Corps forward operating bases (FOBs) operate in austere conditions where the reliance on resupply from main bases is a necessity. A FOB in Afghanistan requires at least 300 gallons of diesel fuel a day, in which each gallon delivered requires 7 gallons of fuel to get it there by convoy. Extensive resupply convoys offer a tactical disadvantage, especially when there is one Marine casualty for every 50 convoys.
Private sector innovations in energy efficiency can offer a solution to inefficient energy use and Marine casualties from IEDs – improvised explosive devices. Data analysis of private sector innovations in the fields of flexible solar, fuel cells, and atmospheric water generation, provide direction into the future of sustainable forward operating base design. Each of the proposed innovations outscore current systems by vast margins in a weighted energy efficiency scale and therefore have the potential to elevate the energy efficiency of forward operating bases.
Energy efficiency, in the case of the Marine Corps, is a combat multiplier. If they are able to free themselves from the burden of their increased energy use, they gain the ability to operate more aggressively, push deeper, and fight as a lighter, more lethal force.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/608583
Date06 May 2016
CreatorsAsheim, Jonathan
ContributorsCollege of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, Cais, Bryden, Luliano, Joseph
PublisherThe University of Arizona.
Source SetsUniversity of Arizona
Languageen_US
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext
RightsCopyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, and the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

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