The agreement between the two departments is towards strengthening the nation’s energy security while reducing military utility costs.
The DoI and DoD, as per the MOU, will look to harness solar, wind, geothermal and biomass energy resources on or near DoD installations across the country.
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said that the nation’s military lands have a lot of renewable energy potential that the partnership between the two departments will seek to exploit with the goal of empowering the military while reducing energy costs securing the nation’s energy independence.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta added, ""Renewable energy projects built on these lands will provide reliable, local sources of power for military installations; allow for a continued energy supply if the commercial power grid gets disrupted; and will help lower utility costs."
The DoD spends an estimated $4bn per annum on utility bills and is actively pursuing renewable energy, each of the Military Services has committed to install 1GW of renewable energy generating facilities on or near its facilities by 2025.
