Hawaii has become ground zero for a Pentagon research drive to develop alternative energy in areas including Asia and the Pacific, where the need to travel long distances — and use lots of fuel oil to do it — has been identified as a national security risk.

"Everyone is focused on Hawaii right now," said Richard Carlin, head of the Office of Naval Research Sea Warfare and Weapons Department. "The studies we’re conducting there and technologies we’re developing will not only help the Navy reduce its need for fossil fuels, but also move the country closer to energy independence."

The Defense Department — the biggest energy consumer in the United States — has long worried about the risk of relying on expensive fuel oil for military operations.

U.S. officials maintain that what’s good for the military "green" energy-wise is good for stability in a region where possible oil deposits in the South China Sea already have led to a standoff between China and Vietnam.

The Navy is pumping millions into Hawaii renewable energy research.

The Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, which helps the Navy and other government agencies connect defense research needs with UH researchers, has seen project funding jump from $7.9 million as of 2013 to more than $20 million, said retired Vice Adm. Michael Vitale, executive director of the lab.

In July, the UH lab received $9 million from the Navy for the Wave Energy Test Site off the Kaneohe Bay Marine Corps base for continued testing of wave energy conversion devices.

In September, the research laboratory obtained $3.1 million in Navy funding to study electrical grids at three military bases in Hawaii with an eye to utilizing more alternative energy, Vitale said.

Another $2 million in work for the state on undersea cable development also was added to the portfolio, he said.

The UH lab is one of five Navy University-Affiliated Research Centers across the country. The other four trace their roots to World War II.

The relatively new Hawaii lab was started in 2008, and Vitale said renewable energy has been established as a "brand" for the center. "Our desire is to continue to grow this brand," Vitale said.

In 2013, meanwhile, the Office of Naval Research said it was providing $30 million in funding to the so-called Energy Excelerator project to help energy innovation companies in Hawaii and the region.

A new website was just launched to highlight alternative energy efforts sponsored by the Office of Naval Research in the state.

The Asia-Pacific Technology and Education Partnership focuses on Hawaii "because of the state’s abundance of reliable wind, solar, bioenergy, wave and geothermal resources," the Navy said.

The partnership said it approaches renewable energy in three ways: supporting "cutting-edge" energy research, educating students and teachers in energy-related fields, and supporting businesses trying to bring alternative energy products to the marketplace.

The Navy pointed to the grid modernization study at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai as an example of a broader application of the Hawaii testing.

A renewable-energy integration plan will be developed to help the Navy meet its renewable-energy goals in a way that maintains electrical service reliability.

"Once we figure out how to make these bases more energy-efficient, we can take these new technologies and concepts to other naval bases and ultimately achieve the Navy’s energy goals," Carlin said in a news release.

By 2020, the Navy wants 50 percent of its total energy consumption to be derived from alternative sources.

Although Hawaii is the most fossil fuel-dependent state in the nation and has the highest electricity prices, the state has set a goal of achieving 70 percent clean energy by 2030.

The military sees the state as an ideal test bed for green energy solutions.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said the Navy-backed renewable energy research in Hawaii "is no longer just aspirational — it’s really happening."

He added, "The Navy has recognized that Hawaii is leading internationally in clean energy. These partnerships are helping our local entrepreneurs and putting Hawaii on the map."

Schatz said he will continue to work through the appropriations process to support the investments.

Several years ago, the Office of Naval Research joined with Chiang Mai Rajabhat University in northern Thailand to explore decentralized solar DC power microgrid systems that can be used in remote communities — as well as at forward-deployed naval bases.

In 2013, the Defense Department spent $14.8 billion on fuel for operational missions, according to congressional sources.

The foreign fuel supply is expected to have continued instability as demand grows worldwide.

The Center for National Policy said in an April report that recent experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan "have reminded us that our military equipment is too heavy, our military’s demand for fuel too great, and that the need to move fuel to our forces poses additional security risks to our troops."

The Pentagon is considering the future energy supply "as force requirements are shifting from land-based Marines and Army forces to more fuel-intensive sea and air assets spread across the Asia-Pacific."

The report said: "With greater fuel requirements, an expanded logistics tail and challenging geopolitical dynamics, major shifts of forces to the Asia-Pacific region present serious operational energy challenges."

On the Net:

» Asia-Pacific Technology and Education Partnership: www.aptep.net