AlphaStruxure, a provider of Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions, announced an agreement to deploy an integrated microgrid and electric bus charging infrastructure project for Montgomery County, Maryland. 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, reducing lifetime emissions by more than 155,000 tons, while delivering resilience to climate events and power outages.

AlphaStruxure is a joint venture between the Carlyle Global Infrastructure Opportunity Fund and Schneider Electric.

The Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot is a first-of-its-kind integration of microgrid and EV charging infrastructure. AlphaStruxure will design, build, finance, own and operate the project to enable Ride On’s growing electric bus fleet.

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 and lifetime greenhouse gas benefit of more than 155,000 tons.

• Climate Resilience & 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: Energy as a Service 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.

The Brookville Smart Energy Bus Depot will utilize Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure platform, including its top-ranked microgrid controllers and electrical distribution equipment.

Leveraging strong relationships with industry-leading partners, 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.

AB Energy USA is the American subsidiary of AB—a company dedicated to cogeneration and to the development of renewable energy sources such as biogas and biomethane.

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.

The Smart Energy Bus Depot project provides a national model for local governments, transit agencies, and the private sector looking to electrify their fleets. Rather than buying the microgrid and charging infrastructure outright, the County partnered with AlphaStruxure, who builds, owns, operates and maintains the system. The County then purchases the electricity and resilience supplied by the microgrid and charging infrastructure on an ongoing basis. This model delivers the supporting infrastructure required to electrify our bus fleet, customized to our specific needs, at no upfront cost while also enhancing resilience and environmental sustainability.

—David Dise, director, Montgomery County Department of General Services