Montgomery County Strikes Deal To Electrify Ride On Buses

SILVER SPRING, MD — Maryland's most populous jurisdiction has moved one step closer to achieving its goal of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) announced an agreement on Friday with AlphaStruxure, an energy-as-a-service company, to deploy an integrated microgrid and electric bus charging infrastructure project at the Brookville Bus Depot in Silver Spring. The project will enable at least 44 Ride On buses to transition from diesel to electric power — which Elrich and other local officials say will reduce harmful emissions and help the county achieve its ambitious climate goals.

"Electrifying our bus fleets is a necessary step in reducing carbon emissions, which is why the microgrid and electrification project brings us one step closer to meeting our ambitious climate goals," County Council President Tom Hucker said. "This project can show a sustainable path for other counties and cities to follow Montgomery County's lead in transitioning away from dirty energy and moving toward electrification."

AlphaStruxure will design, build, finance, own, and operate the project — which is scheduled to be completed in late spring 2022.

It's designed to deliver the following benefits and outcomes:

• Bus Electrification: helps the county transition from fossil fuel buses to electric buses
• Environmental Sustainability: reduces carbon emissions by 62 percent
• Climate Resilience and Operational Reliability: ensures uninterrupted bus services during long-term power outages caused by severe weather, as well as any short-term disturbances of the utility grid
• Flexible Fleet Operations: avoids utility demand charges and time-of-use tariffs, thus providing fleet operations with ultimate dispatch flexibility
• Financial Benefits: energy-as-a-service approach eliminates the upfront cost to the county for the project and offers long-term cost predictability for energy supply
• Economic Development: creates more than 50 construction jobs

The Brookville Bus Depot — a first-of-its-kind integration of microgrid and electric vehicle charging infrastructure — is located at 8710 Brookville Rd.