Boeing and Siemens work with U.S. Dept of Defense on smart grid

Boeing and Siemens Industry, Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Siemens, recently announced a strategic alliance for the joint development and marketing of smart grid technologies to improve energy access and security for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the largest energy consumer in the federal government.

The collaboration centers on providing U.S. military installations with secure microgrid management services that lower operational costs and increase energy efficiency, according to the company.

According to the DOD Energy Security Act of 2011, the DOD spends $20 billion on 135 million barrels of fuel and 30 million megawatt-hours of electricity a year. According to a Boeing spokesperson, the DOD has been clear about its targets to reduce energy consumption and has an initiative to cut energy use and intensity by 30% by 2015. The DOD also is looking to provide 25% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020.

Microgrid technology will also be used for security in the DOD. According to a Boeing spokesperson, microgrids will make it more reliable to manage, distribute, measure, utilize and conserve electricity use. It can also be an important tool in allowing the U.S. to achieve energy independence by incorporating renewable energy sources into the nation’s energy supply; securing energy supply; increasing energy efficiency and saving billions of dollars; reducing carbon footprint; and strengthening our position as a global energy consumer, according to Boeing.

This collaboration will make a real difference in how the DOD uses energy,” says Tim Noonan, vice president of Boeing Energy.

The alliance’s microgrid management solution will be designed to implement economical energy-efficiency tools that allow for analysis, control and automation of energy processes, use smart energy controls to provide real-time data to manage energy use, and integrate renewable energy sources and storage, according to Boeing.

The Siemens and Boeing alliance will provide the DOD with engineering and construction; network and smart grid integration; cybersecurity; energy efficiency; energy management and storage; next-generation alternative energy integration; climate monitoring; and service, training and maintenance, according to Boeing.

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