Green pushups anyone? Hybrid jeeps and other “green” training equipment will now be used to train future Israel Defense Force officers
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are now extending their green military programs (like solar energy chargers) to training future officers at a special “green” training base in the country’s Negev desert region. In a first or “flagship” venture, the new training base will feature a 400- panel solar farm for heating hot water for the entire facility, expected to save 90,000 liters of oil a year.
Motion detectors that turn off the lights after a set period without movement and water-conserving faucets will also be featured.. Fluorescent lights, which consume a lot of energy have been replaced by T5 energy efficient ones, which should cut electricity use by 30 percent. These features were reported recently in the Jerusalem Post.
Portable solar rechargers
The new training base is one of a number of green policies being incorporated into the IDF, some of which were reported in recent Green Prophet articles and include adopting solar energy field re-chargers in army practices, and renewable energy installations to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
The transportation and logistical corps is also considering the use of hybrid models of jeeps as a way to cut down on fossil fuel use.
The base, known as Bahad 1, has been a popular training facility for IDF officers since 1968. As a flagship base for sustainable green policies, the base now has installed equipment to save water, better disposal of sewage by being hooked up to the sewage treatment plant at nearby city of Yeruham, sustainable building policies to conserve energy at the base’s housing and other complexes, and the planned used of natural gas as well the solar energy plant.
IDF Col. Ofra Rahav, commander of the IDF construction center was quoted as saying what is being done to improve the overall base facilities:
“Ever since the IDF began constructing bases from scratch after the withdrawal from Sinai, part of the planning process has taken into account planning for the climate of the base, its insulation, and how to use its internal spaces. New bases require planning from scratch, which enables us to build long-lasting standardized buildings suitable to the climate.”
Israeli solar energy companies, such as Arava Power are now in the process of installing small, compact solar energy plants in a number of settlements in the Negev and Arava desert regions.
Although not mentioned specifically, it’s very possible that one of these “settlements” could very well be the Bahad 1 officer training base, and other IDF installations as well, we suspect
While the IDF’s primary function is in defending the country against its enemies, the training that soldiers receive in “cutting edge technologies” is good experience in regards to adapting environmentally friendly technologies, Col. Ravav added.
More up on IDF green issues and Negev renewable energy projects:
The IDF Adopts Solar Energy Field Rechargers for Practice Exercises
IDF Considering Hybrid Versions for Army Jeeps
Arava Power to “Electrify” the Negev Desert With 15 Solar Energy Deals
Author: Maurice Picow
Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to move to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology - particularly electric cars.
