Energy ConsciousnessTaking a Systems Approach to Energy

Dr. Rachel LeslieResilience Research Portfolio Manager

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

UK Ministry of Defence

Context• Major UK effort on Operational Energy

• Research has led; informing the policy

agenda– Interpreting the strategic environment

– Understanding implications for the military

context

– Advising policy options

• Earlier brief (NATO CD&E Nov 2012)– Described UK energy challenge, policy

response and research programme objectives

• Cost – An increase of 1p per litre of fuel adds

~£13M to equipment energy bill

• Delivery to front line user– The cost of fuel at point of use must

include transport costs, supply fleet, personnel and protection

• Operational effectiveness– Decreasing fuel use impacts on ability

to deliver expeditionary capability – reduce logistics ‘tail’ = deeper, further,

quicker

Drivers for MOD to use less energy

Resilience – an integrated programme

Energy Security Critical & Strategic Resources

Emission ReductionResilience to Climate Change

Decision Making

UK Objective:

“Ensure that MoD remains able to deliver the required effect, against increasingly constraining external requirements and expectations over which MoD has limited or no control”

Resilient Systems

• Understanding Future Energy

vulnerability and building Energy

“Resilience”

• Resilience to External Impact:

– Climate Impact / Resource & Commodity

prices / Legislation

• Changing energy “Behaviours”

• Preserving freedom of manoeuvre and

Freedom of Action

• Preparing for possible restrictions on

vehicles, maritime platforms and military

aircraft

Understanding the future environment

• Availability issues won’t prevent us conducting military operations

• Demand for equipment energy is likely to continue increasing

• We can’t predict what future energy technologies and fuels will be

Impact & Implications• Consumption Data and trends show...

– 14% reduction in fuel usage since 2010

– 56% increase in fuel cost since 2010

• We cannot afford to be complacent– Relying on “Savings” & “Operational Drawdown” delivers

artificial reductions

– What are the true implications of “passive” approaches to

meeting energy reduction targets?

– Behavioural Change?

• A cost effective way of reducing consumption

Energy Efficiency versus Energy Effectiveness?

• How should we track our Energy Usage

to change Behaviours?– Col. Paul Roege (US Army) proposed

“Energy Effectiveness”

• a more meaningful measure of how the

military use energy

• UK is looking at Energy Capability

Metrics– How do we measure the amount of capability,

or military effect, that can be delivered for

each unit of energy?

Evolving UK Energy Policy Aims: • To reduce the reliance of the Armed Forces on fossil fuel

by 18% by 2020– A challenging target

– New equipment is more power hungry than that it replaces

• To treat energy as a “Capability”– A change in mindset from “Energy as a commodity”

• Challenge: How should UK MOD consider energy in its

decision-making processes?

Strategic Energy: A systems approach• How to understand energy flow at different

levels– MOD, Front Line Command, Capability,

Equipment, System

• How to understand where to focus effort

• Where is technology the answer?– But where is behaviour change better?

• What outputs are being delivered when

energy is consumed?

Strategic energy• Energy Capability Audit

– A key decision-making tool– How do we know if we have enough, too much or

too little of “energy capability”?

• Strategic Balance of Energy:– How do we optimise our capability mix against

energy rather than cost?

• Applying energy to operational scenarios:– How could we deliver the same effect with

different force mixes?– What would be the different energy (and energy

capability) requirements?

Technical Programme across the Commands

• Air– Sustainable Military Aviation Research Technology Initiative

(SMARTI)

– Evaluating low drag technologies

– Analysing operational procedures and behaviours

• Land – Future energy options for Forward Operating Bases (FOBs)

• Maritime– Energy harvesting

• e.g. heat pumps to provide

domestic hot water

– Using data better to make energy informed decisions

–

Summary (1)

• Energy research in UK MOD looks at:– Defence’s vulnerability to a lack of energy supply

– Increasing energy costs

– Alternative energy and energy reduction

technologies

– Behavioural focused mitigation options

• To ensure that we can be resilient in the

future

Summary (2)

• Resilience research supports a reduction of

energy demand at:– The equipment level

– The operational level across all Front Line

Commands, including in theatre

– The strategic level, supporting policymakers and

finance staff in MOD HQ

Questions?