• File photo
• Fort Carson installed solar panels on base housing in 2016.

Fort Carson plans to throw the switch on Jan. 9 for the largest peak energy-saving battery storage system on any Department of Defense installation.

The 8.5 megawatt-per-hour battery unit, installed in November, is designed to combat the high cost of peak power use periods and help offset Carson's high energy demands, the post said in a news release.

"The system will reduce our billed peak electric use an average of 9 percent every month, which will save Fort Carson approximately $525,000 a year," Vince Guthrie, Directorate of Public Works utility program manager, said in the release.

The $8 million battery system aligns with the Army's increased focus on energy resiliency.