A brand new power source is now operational on Redstone Arsenal.
On Friday several dignitaries, including the senior commander of Redstone, took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of the solar and battery energy project.
Their on-site solar panel fields generate about 10 megawatts of energy. They have enough energy to power more than 1,000 homes a year.
The Arsenal is able to buy the electricity produced by the project at a much cheaper rate than current and future utility rates.
Officials say the project also enhances Redstone's energy resilience by creating diversity in the energy supply.
The project was first an idea after the 2011 severe storms affected Redstone's power supply for several days.
"As much as we want it to be a nice sunny day like today, when that happens we've got the ability to do what we're charged to do by the nation," Redstone Garrison Commander Col. Thomas Holliday said. "And that is what we're about."
"This is the kind of project that other installations will look at as an example of how to pair renewables with battery storage, so you've got the sustanibility and the resilliance in energy security that we're looking for," Acting Assistant Secretary of the Army Jordan Gillis said.
Construction on the project started a year and a half ago.
The panels stretch across 114 acres and will save an estimated $80,000 per year.
