In 2006 an urgent request came from the top U.S. military commander in western Iraq. Rather than asking for more tanks or troops, Marine Corps Major General Richard Zilmersaid he needed “a renewable and self-sustainable energy solution” for forward operating bases and combat outposts. Outfitting bases with solar panels and wind turbines, he argued, would reduce the need for fuel-bearing convoys, which are vulnerable to attack and which draw soldiers away from their core mission.