In May, Fort Carson began using power from the 7.5-megawatt James W. Broderick Hydroelectric Power Facility at Pueblo Dam. The facility was built by the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District, and Colorado Springs Utilities will deliver half of the power generated by it to the Mountain Post. (The city of Fountain will buy the balance.)
The post’s purchase will average $860,000 a year and supply 1,800 Carson homes. The purchase comprises 7 percent of the installation’s electrical needs, the post said in a release.
The hydro-power purchase boosts Carson’s investment in renewables — the post also has solar panels that supply 8 percent of its electricity. In 2011, the Army tasked Carson and two other installations with reaching net zero efficiencies for energy, water and waste.