Most military installations are largely dependent on a commercial power grid that is vulnerable to disruption from cyber-attacks, aging infrastructure, weather-related events, and direct attack. Over-reliance on the electric grid is a growing concern to the mission assurance on our installations. We scout commercial technologies that can advance energy and water security and reduce consumption. ESTCP technology demonstrations provide developers a low-risk opportunity to test how their products perform when integrated with legacy systems, operated under real-world conditions and subject to DoD-specific requirements (e.g. cybersecurity), and defense end-users receive hands-on experience with a technology’s performance without the financial risk of a product procurement.
As the nation’s largest single energy consumer, DoD spends close to $4 billion every year on facility energy consumption. ESTCP invests in building technologies to reduce operating costs, improve occupant comfort and productivity, and make our installations more resilient to the effects of climate change.
Technologies like microgrids, distributed generation, and energy storage protect critical installation operations from system outages. ESTCP keeps a pulse on the market, scouting commercial energy technologies that can be adapted to the DoD mission.
As facilities incorporate more networked devices to improve efficiency and increase capability, threat and vulnerability to cyber-attacks has also increased. ESTCP demonstrates improved cybersecurity technology and processes that are critical to realize the benefits of new advanced technologies and to protect against increasingly sophisticated cyber-threats.
The provision of clean and reliable water supply is critical to enabling operations on military installations. SERDP and ESTCP are developing and demonstrating technologies that improve water security, reduce waste and ensure sufficient quantity and quality of water to support DoD missions.
