The U.S. Army has more than 130 installations worldwide and has a stated goal of operating a microgrid on all Army installations by 2035. With only 25 microgrid projects scoped and planned through 2024, the speed and intensity of microgrid research, deployment, and funding are critical for achieving microgrid goals and energy resilience. To better understand the nature of the microgrid requirement, ASP explored existing guidance, key research challenges, and other enabling factors which impact the Army's ability to achieve its microgrid goals. Read more...

The 2023 Farm Bill stands poised to redefine the fabric of the U.S.’s farmlands, foodscape, and their relationship with the natural environment. It can completely transform the agricultural landscape and promises to change how food is grown, distributed, consumed, and addresses environmental concerns. But given the polarized political climate in Congress, there is skepticism that Congress will be able to reach an agreement by the September 30 deadline.Read more...

The electrification of defense vehicles means more than financial savings or emissions reductions—it’s a national security issue. Increasing electrification via electric vehicles (EVs) bolsters military readiness by addressing various threats from heavy reliance on fossil fuels both at home and abroad. Notwithstanding, the Pentagon’s critical efforts to transition to EVs were nearly completely impeded by proposed amendments to the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Read more...

Sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Energy, Installations, and Environment (ASD EI&E), the DoD Climate Resilience Workshop 2023 provided a series of panels, deep dives, and vignettes for DoD stakeholders and partners to discuss climate programs, tools, and resources to facilitate DoD’s climate resilience efforts.Read more...

Ukraine offers an opportune setting, without risking Americans' lives and limbs, to signal to China and Taiwan its commitment to defending its allies.Read more...

Climate and energy security remain at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy and national security. Both the National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Strategy (NDS) firmly establish energy resilience as key components of U.S. national security. Congress has also passed key pieces of legislation which sent important signals to public institutions and private industry to pivot away from fossil fuels to create a new domestic clean energy system. To better understand the dynamics of the clean energy transition and their relationship to energy security and national security, ASP developed the Innovating Out of the Climate Crisis series, which focused on five industry case studies in the energy ecosystem: electrification, hydrogen, carbon emissions, agricultural technology, and hard to abate energy sectors. Through a series of webinars and written publications, ASP identified challenges, opportunities, and potential policy and regulatory remedies that can help implement clean energy policies, foster innovation, and facilitate a robust clean energy transition.Read more...

Last summer, the U.S. Department of Interior declared a drought emergency in the Colorado River Basin, and instructed the surrounding states to create a plan to reduce consumption. Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming were left to figure out the details on sharing and conserving the basin’s water. Having failed to reach a consensus, last Tuesday DoI released a draft environmental impact statement outlining two alternatives for apportioning two to four million acre-feet (AF) of required cuts.Read more...

Hard to abate sectors, including steel, cement, and chemical manufacturing account for approximately 30 percent of global carbon emissions. These heavy industries have immense heat and energy requirements and generate emissions from chemical reactions inherent in their manufacturing processes, making them notoriously difficult to decarbonize. But, with demand for these industries projected to grow in the coming decades, it is essential to find new approaches to cutting emissions from these industries.Read more...

American agriculture is at a crossroads. Just 1 percent of Americans are farmers but the sector produces 11 percent of the country’s emissions. Researchers are developing technologies and farming practices that can help minimize the climate impact of farming, and even turn farms into net carbon sinks. But federal support will be essential to getting these innovations through the farm gate, and to ensuring that changes are sustained over the long term.Read more...

Few industries are more attuned to—and dependent on—the weather than farming. In the coming decades, climate change will make farmers’ jobs more difficult than ever, as rising temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and spreading pests all take their toll on production. But agriculture is not a neutral actor: emissions from the sector account for more than 10 percent of the U.S. total, only marginally less than those from all commercial businesses and residences. And with Farm Bill negotiations about to start in earnest, its important to explore how innovation in agriculture—including advances in biotech, animal husbandry, soil and nutrient management, and more—can help agriculture adapt to climate change and reduce emissions. Read more...