The microgrid system will launch in September in Silver Spring, powering a growing fleet of electric buses on Montgomery County’s Ride On system, The first microgrid to power electric buses will soon make its debut in the Washington region as transit agencies nationwide increasingly look to the sun rather than diesel to fuel their fleets

Electric buses to tap solar power using new method for D.C. region

The system will launch in September, powering a growing number of electric buses on Montgomery County’s Ride On transit system. The Silver Spring facility will be the first in the D.C. area to use the microgrid technology and one of the earliest of its kind nationwide. The microgrid will use energy that originates from solar panels at a bus depot rather than the traditional electricity grid the process used by most transit agencies with electric buses. The transition comes as jurisdictions across the country are looking to electrify their bus fleets to battle climate change and amid financial windfalls from last year’s infrastructure law, which includes $109 billion for transit.

The push for the Maryland project stems from the county’s climate goals, which include converting its publicly owned vehicles to zero-emission by 2035. The county is expecting to add 10 electric buses to its existing fleet of more than 370 gas-powered buses by the end of the summer and expects to buy 100 more by the end of 2023. The Brookville Bus Depot eventually will charge up to 70 buses. The county is looking to install microgrid facilities in more of its bus depots to house the growing fleet. “This is the kind of thing we have to do to meet our climate goals,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) said during a recent tour of the Brookville depot. “The grid is clean, so the cleaner energy we use as a source, the more likely we are to be successful in reducing our total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s the goal. The county funded the project through a public-private partnership with AlphaStruxure, a joint venture between the Carlyle Group, an asset management company, and energy provider Schneider Electric.

AlphaStruxure fronted the capital to build the microgrid infrastructure, and the county will pay it back in monthly installments over 25 years alongside its power bill. The county purchased the buses using Federal Transit Administration grants, said Calvin Jones, division chief for Montgomery County Fleet Management Services. The Brookville Bus Depot will be the first microgrid in the county to be used for transportation purposes, although the technology is used elsewhere in Montgomery. The county’s public safety headquarters is powered by microgrids, while the county is also planning to use microgrids at its Gaithersburg bus depot and its Animal Services headquarters.

Source: This new is originally published by washingtonpost

By Web Team

Technology Times Web team handles all matters relevant to website posting and management.