More states are going electric by replacing older buses with green fleets and the federal government is helping to foot the bill.
This summer alone, the Federal Transit Administration announced more than a billion dollars for projects across 47 states to improve public transit.
In Montgomery Country, Maryland officials have already taken steps to modernize their fleet. The county is home to Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot which is one of the largest renewable energy transit depots in the country.
There are more than a dozen electric transit buses already in service here with plans to have 70 electric buses by 2026.
“Obviously parking is a huge priority for a bus depot and so that’s why all the chargers were mounted to the ceiling of the solar canopy,” said Maeve Lawniczak, project manager for AlphaStruxure.
The Washington News Bureau got a tour of this facility that’s known as a microgrid, which means it uses solar power to charge the buses.
This project was a partnership with the County’s Department of General Services and AlphaStruxure, a provider that builds, operates, and maintains energy infrastructure.
“We’re eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and diesel particulate in our city streets so we’re going to have a positive impact on the environment,” said Don Scheuerman, Chief, Office of Energy and Sustainability at Montgomery County Department of General Services.
Officials said these microgrids can also help maintain services if there’s a major outage.
“If there’s a bad storm where most of us may not be able to get power, the microgrid will be able to provide power to the electric vehicles,” said Lawniczak.
Similar projects are popping up nationwide. Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the federal government has awarded nearly $5 billion to replace and modernize buses over the last three years.
But some critics argue these green buses may have some disadvantages.
“They cost more. They are heavier, so they impose more wear and tear on the road and they leave the municipality or the county less money for other things,” said Diana Furchtgott-Roth, The Heritage Foundation.
Furchtgott-Roth is Director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. She believes these projects may not be a good use of money right now.
“We should wait until the technology is competitive, because these counties, these cities, they don’t have a lot of money,” she said. “Every extra dollar they spend on an electric bus is something they cannot spend on health, on education.”
But back in Montgomery County, officials believe these projects are worth the investment.
“I’m hopeful that everyone can kind of get behind this whether, no matter what your thoughts or feelings,” said Scheuerman. “Because at the end of the day we only have one planet to take care of and we should do our best to do that.”
Soon, Montgomery County’s David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operations Center will be the largest renewable energy-powered transit depot, the largest transit depot microgrid in the nation, and the first on the East Coast to produce green hydrogen on-site.
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