Guest essay by Eric Worrall
h/t Breitbart; Over to industry, to develop new environmentally friendly sources of energy which can be used on operational deployments.
Army could phase out fossil fuels to attract ecofriendly recruits, senior general says
Dominic Nicholls, defence and security correspondent
13 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 1:33AM…
Speaking at a defence and security event in London, he said: “The Army is leading defence on sustainable energy solutions, both at home and when deployed overseas. We may be at the inflection point of how we power our next generation of vehicles. Our current equipment programme is possibly the last to be dependent on fossil fuel.”
Calling on British industry to lead the way on developing new sources of energy for the military, he added: “The challenge, and genuine commercial opportunity, is to aim high and lead the world in the development of military equipment which is not only battle-winning but also environmentally sustainable.
“That gives the British Army considerable operational benefits, such as reducing our logistical drag, and also puts the Army … on the right side of the environmental argument, especially in the eyes of that next generation of recruits that increasingly make career decisions based on a prospective employer’s environmental credentials.”
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Read more: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/13/army-could-phase-fossil-fuels-attract-ecofriendly-recruits-senior/
Fine words, but that new source of energy doesn’t exist.
The US Army invested money into “project dilithium“, a plan to deploy small modular 10MW nuclear reactors to the front line, but there is a lot of skepticism. Those reactors would be very high value targets, if an insurgent attack managed to rupture the core and spray core material all over the base, you’d have to immediately evacuate or die horribly, maybe in the middle of a firefight.
In any case, I don’t think British Gen Sir Mark Carleton-Smith who gave the speech had nuclear power in mind, he wants something renewable and eco friendly.
I vote this the funniest thread EVAH on WUWT–you guys totally win the Interwebz for today!
What about carbon free gunpowder? Back to bows and arrows?
Steam Catapults.
Please… energy does not equal fossil fuels! Electricity is a perfectly good alternative, and it can be generated with near to zero carbon emissions using wind, solar and nuclear generators that already account for a sizeable proportion of the world’s energy mix and is rapidly becoming cheaper than oil, gas and coal. Even if you do not believe in 97% of scientific papers on this subject, make the switch for economic reasons alone!
That’s the most hilarious post I’ve read in years. How do you make this stuff up?
But … but … wouldn’t all those extension cords crisscrossing the battlefield pose a trip hazard for the ground troops?
PS I don’t think David Drake’s “Hammer’s Slammers” books, though good, count as “scientific papers”.
That’s Data laughing at Elementary Physics.
Electricity is a wonderful *theoretical* energy source for military and fighting vehicles… But without a breakthrough in both physical theory and engineering technology to improve it’s net energy density it will remain impractical.
Per British Army propaganda about this vehicle, which is not actually a tank but an “infantry fighting vehicle”, it is supposed to be able to deploy into a combat situation and remain effective for 48 hours “without replenishment”. Current power plant is a 550HP diesel giving a power/weight ratio of 22HP/Ton. The diesel’s output corresponds to ~450Kw. 450Kw X 48 ~ 20,000KW hours (NB with no recharge). That’s gonna be some battery and some recharger. It’s going to need its own fire extinguisher, which will probably be bigger than the vehicle, for those times when the battery just magically catches fire. Plus a generator equipped service vehicle needed for units that aren’t able to leave the field under their own power. I sense an opportunity here for Tesla to restore its finances.
After reading this, all I could think of was George Patton’s Operation Fortitude — the fake Army of cardboard and rubber set to lead the invasion of Europe.
Well if the eco friendly recruiting drive is as successful as hoped
they can hand push the tanks .
So green the other side will likely surrender their rainbow flag in support .
On the other hand just get all countries to agree future wars will be fought with bows and
arrows .
I think he took the term “Social Justice Warriors” a little too literally. Someone needs to tell him that they’re not actual soldiers…