In light of the ongoing global energy crisis brought on by the Iran war, India's Armed Forces are investigating a number of ways to conserve Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and fuel, from obtaining alternative cooking sources, preferably biogas, in the short term to utilising solar and wind energy on a larger scale over the coming months, senior officials told The Indian Express.
Orders to procure biogas stoves are in the pipeline and will be initiated soon by the Army, the officials said.
The question of whether the movement of big Army convoys for administrative purposes can be limited to 400 km while maximising the utilisation of the rail network beyond that is being examined in conjunction with the focus on fuel conservation.It is being considered to impose modest limitations on the regular mobility of Army vehicles without compromising operational effectiveness. When possible, this entails merging tasks like the transfer of troops, stores, and rations, as well as pooling vehicles. Additionally, if feasible, the usage of CNG or electric civil hired transport would be promoted, according to an official.
Some of these safeguards, according to officials, are already in place, while others are being put into action. As part of the energy saving efforts, further measures will shortly be added, and over the coming weeks, specific campaigns to implement them are probably going to take place, they stated.

Officials claim that while routine flights may be streamlined, the conservation efforts will not affect operational flying. Recce, casualty evacuation, emergency troop movement, and equipment and ration transportation are examples of operational flying. They stated that additional fuel, oil, and lubricant conservation methods will also be promoted at the unit level. For food preparation, each soldier is currently permitted to use 125–135 grams of petrol each day.
Currently, each Army unit has four to six cookhouses that feed between 125 and 150 soldiers daily, making cooking gas a necessary resource for soldiers serving in both peace and combat forces.

Additionally, the Army alone possesses more than two lakh vehicles of various kinds that are frequently utilised for operations, training, administration, and maintenance, including the transportation of troops, supplies, equipment, and rations.
According to an official, "there is an enormous consumption of fuel on a daily basis for various administrative and operational duties."
According to officials, the use of lubricants in vehicles for the best operation and upkeep of armament systems rises in high-altitude sites since harsh weather reduces system efficiency.

An estimated 46,000 acres of defence property are accessible for these kinds of initiatives. Solar and biogas facilities, as well as afforestation and floriculture to generate carbon credits, were among the ideas being investigated.
In order to offer a reliable power supply to off-grid sites, NTPC and the Army collaborated to build a solar hydrogen-based microgrid at Chushul in Ladakh in October 2024.
The Ministry of Defence had stated in a statement at the time that the microgrid system would function autonomously, replacing current diesel gensets at off-grid sites and using hydrogen as an energy storage medium to produce 200kW of electricity continuously throughout the year.