Energy Conference spotlights military's green energy
It’s not surprising that the U.S. Navy should be at the cutting edge of new energy alternatives, said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, speaking at the annual MIT Energy Conference on March 5. Innovation in energy is something the Navy has led on for over 150 years, he said, starting with pioneering the switch from sail to coal for powering its ships in the mid-19th century, then the switch from coal to oil, and later from oil to nuclear power. “Every time,” he said, “there were naysayers, who said you’re trading one form of proven, available energy for another that is expensive and not well known, and you shouldn’t do it.” But, he added, “every single time, those naysayers have been proved absolutely wrong, and they’ll be proved wrong this time.” This time, it’s a switch to renewable, non-fossil sources of energy that the Navy has been...