AlphaStruxure, a provider of energy-as-a-service (EaaS) solutions, has entered an agreement to deploy an integrated microgrid and electric bus charging infrastructure project for Montgomery County, Md. The project will enable at least 44 buses in Ride On, Montgomery County’s transit fleet, to transition from diesel to electric, advancing the county’s goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.
The Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot is a first-of-its-kind integration of microgrid and electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure – delivering sustainability, reliability and resilience for the county’s public transportation system. AlphaStruxure, a joint venture of Schneider Electric and the Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund, will design, build, finance, own and operate the project to enable Ride On’s growing electric bus fleet.
“We at AlphaStruxure applaud Montgomery County’s continued involvement in sustainability, resilience and electrification,” says Juan Macias, CEO of AlphaStruxure. “With transportation now the largest source of U.S. carbon emissions, we believe electrifying vehicle fleets is essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, the availability of sustainable and resilient electricity often poses a major barrier to organizations seeking to migrate fleets off of fossil fuels. We’re taking the capital cost, complexity and risk out of electrification for Montgomery County through a powerful integration of technical, financial and contractual solutions.”
The project is designed to deliver benefits and outcomes including:
- Bus electrification: Enabling the county’s transition from fossil fuel buses to electric buses with a customized energy and infrastructure solution
- Environmental sustainability: 62% carbon emissions reduction with electric buses powered by the microgrid
- Climate resilience and operational reliability: Ensures uninterrupted bus services during any long-term power outages caused by severe weather as well as any short-term disturbances or perturbations of the utility grid
- Flexible fleet operations: Avoidance of utility demand charges and time-of-use tariffs provides fleet operations with ultimate dispatch flexibility
- Financial benefits: EaaS approach eliminates upfront cost to the county for the project including all microgrid and charging infrastructure, and provides long-term cost predictability for energy supply
- Economic development: Creates more than 50 construction jobs
The Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot will utilize Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure platform, including its microgrid controllers and electrical distribution equipment. The project integrates clean energy including solar photovoltaic canopies designed and built by SunPower, AB Energy USA onsite generation with a carbon-neutral fuel transition strategy, Dynapower battery energy storage, charging and energy management software, ChargePilot from The Mobility House and Heliox chargers.
Mortenson will provide construction services and Arup will serve as engineer of record. AlphaStruxure will operate the project via a cloud-connected Network Operations Center providing 24/7/365 operations, monitoring and optimization of energy performance.
Photo: Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot
