US Army switches on its first wind turbines

The US Army switched on its first wind turbine on 7 July 2010 at the Tooele Army Depot. The turbine, which was completed a year ahead of schedule, was stood up almost overnight during the first week in June. From June 29 through July 6, it was turned on and off intermittently for training and maintenance purposes, but still generated electrical power for about 52 hours. During that time alone, the wind turbine generated approximately $2,000 worth of electricity.

The US Army is also developing alternative power systems for remote border crossings in Iraq.

The engineering arm of the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq (MNSTC-I), in partnership with USACE (US Army Corps of Engineers), is funding and building alternative energy systems for border crossings near Badrah, the team has designed a unique system using both solar panels and a large wind turbine. Later in 2010, the Badrah facility will become the first operational system of its kind in Iraq.  The Iraqi Border Enforcement teams will run the systems, and the coalition forces, through contractors, will train the Iraqis to operate and maintain them.