Renewable Energy Boom At U.S. Military Bases.

• Position: From the Natonal Defense Blog

* The number of renewable energy projects at U.S. military bases rose from 454 in 2010 to 700 in 2012, an increase of 43 percent, according to a new study by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Approximately 384 megawatts of renewable energy capacity exist in Defense Department installations as of 2013. Of this total, almost 45 percent comes from a geothermal energy plant at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Calif The Pew study notes that solar energy, which currently provides 125.5 megawatts, is the second-largest component of the military's deployed renewable energy, accounting for 33 percent of the total.

An Obama administration policy directs the U.S. military to deploy 3 gigawatts--enough to power two to three million homes--of renewable energy, including solar...