AlphaStruxure and Montgomery County Break Floor on Nation’s Largest Renewable Vitality-Powered Transit Depot

• Montgomery County, Maryland’s David F. Bone Tools Upkeep and Transit Operations Middle would be the largest renewable energy-powered transit depot, the biggest transit depot microgrid within the nation, and the primary on the East Coast to provide inexperienced hydrogen on-site.
• This 5.65 megawatt microgrid undertaking, delivered for zero upfront prices by way of Vitality as a Service, will characteristic photo voltaic arrays, electrical bus chargers, battery power storage, and a County-owned hydrogen electrolyzer, thereby permitting the depot to function indefinitely in “island mode.”
• Occasion photographs, 3D renderings, B-roll and different media belongings may be discovered right here

DERWOOD, Md., June 14, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Right this moment, AlphaStruxure, a pacesetter in Vitality as a Service (EaaS) microgrid options, and Montgomery County, Maryland (County) broke floor on an built-in microgrid infrastructure undertaking. The undertaking will characteristic electrical bus charging and on-site inexperienced hydrogen manufacturing powered by photo voltaic and battery power storage.

The County operates the second-largest bus fleet within the Washington, D.C. area. Its David F. Bone Tools Upkeep and Transit Operations Middle is a significant depot inside Journey On Montgomery’s community and the fifth largest County-owned power shopper. By 2035, the depot is projected to accommodate 200 zero-emissions buses, of which most might be hydrogen gas cellNew electrical buses (FCEBs). The County is utilizing FCEBs partially as a result of they’ve a higher vary versus battery electrical buses and may thus help longer bus routes. A hydrogen FCEB is a zero-emissions automobile, powered by hydrogen and oxygen, emitting solely water.

The microgrid’s development is anticipated to be accomplished in 2025, when the system will start sending renewable power again to the grid and have the flexibility to energy zero-emissions buses. This microgrid follows the launch of the Brookville Good Vitality Bus Depot in 2022, which was the County’s first totally constructed microgrid-powered bus depot and in addition led by AlphaStruxure. Collectively, the 2 depots will ultimately energy about 335 zero-emissions transit buses, in accordance with the County’s newest fleet transition plan.

“It is a joyous second to be breaking floor on a undertaking that’s the new normal for public transit in the US,” stated Juan Macias, CEO of AlphaStruxure. “The County has confirmed itself as a nationwide chief in zero-emissions transit, partially by prioritizing simultaneous procurement of each the buses and the sustainable infrastructure wanted to energy them. Each are elementary to a profitable fleet transition. Our Vitality as a Service method permits the County to realize sustainable and resilient transit — with out upfront capital, in a manner that de-risks the monetary, development, and operations phases of the undertaking.”

“This undertaking is the biggest renewable energy-powered transit depot and transit depot microgrid within the nation; it’s also the primary facility on the East Coast to provide inexperienced hydrogen on-site,” stated County Government Marc Elrich. “Montgomery County is offering a sustainable mannequin for the nation to observe. It’s nice to see this bus depot microgrid transfer from idea to development so rapidly due to our ongoing partnership with AlphaStruxure and their associated corporations; we have already got 5 microgrids in operation or growth, with extra underway. This undertaking will each be sure that County companies are ready for the more and more excessive climate as a consequence of local weather change in addition to growing our manufacturing of unpolluted power.”

“Transitioning to inexperienced transit is best for our commuters and the well being of our communities. That is why I labored to safe funding to help Montgomery County’s efforts to maneuver to a completely zero-emission bus fleet fueled by renewable energy,” stated U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. “Tasks like these are essential to attaining Maryland’s formidable clear power targets whereas making native public transit extra dependable and cost-effective.”

“By breaking floor on America’s largest electrical bus depot, Montgomery County continues to steer the nation with investments in making a clear power future for our kids and grandchildren,” U.S. Consultant Jamie Raskin stated. “I am assured this undertaking will function an inspiration for different native governments exploring sustainable power transitions, and I am dedicated to proceed strongly advocating for commonsense pro-climate laws in Congress to learn Maryland and the nation.”

Fueling the County’s FCEBs with inexperienced hydrogen produced by the microgrid’s photo voltaic array advances the County’s purpose of reaching a 100% discount in carbon emissions by 2035. The microgrid additionally permits the County to cut back its Scope 1 and a pair of emissions by 4,000 metric tons of CO₂ per yr, equal to roughly 780 properties’ annual electrical energy use. The County will even use the microgrid to advance fairness. The microgrid will help zero-emissions buses for cleaner air and fewer congestion alongside its Bus Speedy Transit (BRT) community, which serves many minority and low-income riders. It should additionally help new profession and coaching alternatives for underserved communities by means of a County apprenticeship program.

Just like the Brookville depot, this current depot will stay totally operational all through its 28-phase development course of, with no influence on transit companies. The microgrid will present sustainable, resilient energy to a blended fleet of battery electrical and FCEBs, together with the ability’s 5 buildings. It should even be interconnected to the Pepco utility grid and is engineered to function in island mode indefinitely, guaranteeing uninterrupted service for the County’s constituents throughout prolonged grid or energy outages and emergency conditions. Particularly, the microgrid will embrace:

• 5.65 MWDC of rooftop and cover photo voltaic technology
• 2 MW/6.88 MWh battery power storage
• As much as 2.25 MW of charging capability
• 1 MW hydrogen electrolyzer
• Software program instruments and IoT-connected {hardware}
• An entire overview may be discovered right here.

AlphaStruxure and the County will leverage a detailed partnership with the native utility, Pepco, to deploy the large-scale microgrid on a speedy timeline. Along with powering on-site manufacturing of inexperienced hydrogen, a resilient gas supply for FCEBs, the microgrid will even be capable of ship as much as two megawatts (MWs) of renewable power again to the utility grid by way of a Pepco internet metering program.

“Due to their capability to speed up adoption of unpolluted energy sources, microgrids are rising as a key driver of the power transition,” stated Jana Gerber, Schneider Electrical’s President of North America Microgrids. “And as excessive climate will increase, a microgrid’s capability to face up to these occasions is essential for municipalities that have to ship companies to constituents across the clock. Schneider Electrical could be very proud to contribute to the important thing infrastructure of this benchmark undertaking that additional establishes Montgomery County’s management in microgrid and Vitality as a Service adoption. The County continues to cleared the path and present what is feasible.”

AlphaStruxure, a three way partnership of Carlyle and Schneider Electrical™, will finance the undertaking by means of the Vitality as a Service (EaaS) enterprise mannequin. The Boston, MA-based firm will ship all points of design, development, and long-term operations and upkeep. As a three way partnership, AlphaStruxure combines Carlyle’s complete monetary capabilities and infrastructure experience with Schneider Electrical’s main microgrid know-how, software program, and companies.

AlphaStruxure serves as a trusted accomplice for the County, serving to it to realize its 2035 fleet sustainability and resilience targets. It’s delivering the microgrid to the County with out requiring capital expenditures by way of an EaaS contract, a long-term settlement guaranteeing predictable working bills, efficiency, and power pricing.

Montgomery County’s Division of Basic Providers, the Division of Transportation, and the Workplace of Vitality and Sustainability are spearheading this formidable drive towards attaining net-zero emissions by main the transition of the County’s transit fleet and depot infrastructure. AlphaStruxure’s companions for this undertaking embrace Mortenson for design-build; Schneider Electrical for the battery power storage system, microgrid controls, switchgear, and companies; WSP because the engineer of document; AZZO for community and cybersecurity; The Mobility Home for cost administration software program; and Heliox for EV charger {hardware}.

AlphaStruxure is a number one Vitality as a Service (EaaS) supplier and microgrid integrator. Its goal is to decarbonize power infrastructure at velocity and scale. It does so by serving to public- and private-sector organizations obtain formidable, tailor-made power transformations — with out the CapEx or complexity. AlphaStruxure designs, funds, builds, owns, operates and maintains power infrastructure, together with microgrids, to ship emissions reductions, reliability, and resilience. Its initiatives embrace two of the biggest transit microgrids within the U.S. and a microgrid for John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport’s New Terminal One. In contrast to different EaaS suppliers, AlphaStruxure owns its shoppers’ programs for the complete lifecycle, making the corporate accountable to long-term ensures on pricing and efficiency. AlphaStruxure’s joint-venture mannequin harnesses Carlyle’s experience in financing large-scale power infrastructure initiatives and Schneider Electrical’s 185+ yr legacy of power innovation, with greater than 350 profitable microgrid initiatives throughout North America. AlphaStruxure is predicated in Boston, Massachusetts, operates throughout North America, and leverages world capabilities. Be taught extra concerning the firm at alphastruxure.com and observe the corporate on LinkedIn.

SOURCE AlphaStruxure