This September, Montgomery is set to launch the region’s first microgrid, meant to power part of the county’s Ride On bus fleet.
Starting early this fall, Montgomery County is set to launch the region’s first microgrid. Based at the Brookville Bus Depot, the project will eventually power roughly 70 all-electric buses. Currently, the county is on track to expand its electric fleet to over 100 buses by the end of 2023. Local officials plan to install more microgrids at other transit locations as the county transitions out its fleet of 370 gas-powered buses.
According to the Washington Post:
“This is the kind of thing we have to do to meet our climate goals,” Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said during a recent tour of the Brookville depot. “The grid is clean, so the cleaner energy we use as a source, the more likely we are to be successful in reducing our total greenhouse gas emissions. That’s the goal.”
The microgrid represents a significant development, especially considering the statewide push to implement more climate-friendly policy solutions. This past legislative session, the General Assembly passed the historic Climate Solutions Now Act, championed by Senator Paul Pinsky and Delegate Kumar Barve. The legislation called for an overall decrease in state emissions, among a laundry list of other laudable goals. The success of Montgomery County in implementing this technology can possibly be replicated by both the state and other counties, paving the way for future, more sustainable transit systems. ‘