Distributed Energy Resources, Industrial, Sourcing Renewables - July 15, 2024
Maryland Transit Center Adds Electric Bus Charging
The David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center (EMTOC) in Maryland began construction to feature electric bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production powered by solar and battery energy storage.
Construction began in June on an integrated microgrid infrastructure project that will be the largest renewable energy-powered transit depot microgrid in the U.S. The transit center will be the first on the East Coast to produce sustainable hydrogen energy on-site.
Montgomery County’s EMTOC is a major depot within Ride-On Montgomery’s network and the fifth largest county-owned energy consumer. By 2035, EMTOC is projected to accommodate 200 zero-emissions buses, mostly hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs).
The fueling of the county’s initial 13 FCEBs with green hydrogen produced by the microgrid’s solar array will advance the county’s goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2035, reducing its annual Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 4,000 metric tons of CO2.
The microgrid’s construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, when the system will begin sending renewable energy back to the grid and powering zero-emissions buses.
The existing EMTOC depot will remain fully operational throughout its construction process, with no impact on transit services. The microgrid will also provide sustainable, resilient power to the local Pepco utility company and ensure uninterrupted service during extended grid or power outages and emergency situations.
WSP is an engineering, environment and professional services consultancy and was contracted by M.A. Mortenson Co. (Mortenson) as engineer of record (EoR) on the design-build team. Mortenson was contracted by AlphaStruxure, a developer in energy as a service (EaaS) microgrid solutions and a joint venture of Carlyle and Schneider Electric™, to deliver the EMTOC microgrid to Montgomery County, which operates the second-largest bus fleet in the Washington, D.C., region.
“Large-scale microgrid projects like this one will transform transportation emissions at the municipal and national level,” said Michael Case, senior vice president, Power and Energy business line executive at WSP, in a statement.
In addition to WSP and Mortenson, AlphaStruxure’s partners for the EMTOC project include Schneider Electric for the battery energy storage system, microgrid controls, switchgear and services; The Mobility House for charge management software; and Heliox for EV charger hardware. Trillium is providing the hydrogen electrolyzer system directly to the County.
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