Montgomery to Build Nation’s Largest Renewable Energy Bus Depot

Montgomery County broke ground on what is to be the nation’s largest renewable energy-powered bus depot.

Montgomery Cou9nty Executive Marc Elrich, County Council President Andrew Friedson, Councilmembers, representatives of the County’s departments of General Services (DGS) and Transportation (MCDOT), AlphaStruxure, Pepco, Federal, and State officials joined the groundbreaking ceremonies on an integrated microgrid project at the County’s David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operation Center (EMTOC) on Friday, June 14. Located at 16700 Crabbs Branch Way in Derwood, the County’s EMTOC microgrid project will feature electric bus charging and on-site green hydrogen production powered by solar and battery energy storage.

The County operates the second largest bus  in the Washington, D.C., region (the District of Columbia has the largest). MCDOT is the County’s largest fuel consumer, using more than 3.8 million gallons of fuel per year. EMTOC is a major depot within Ride On Montgomery’s network and MCDOT’s largest fuel consumer, using about 1.76 million gallons of fuel per year.

By 2035, the depot is projected to accommodate 200 zero-emissions buses, of which most will be hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs). The County is using FCEBs in part because they have a greater range versus battery electric buses and can thus support longer bus routes. A hydrogen FCEB is a zero-emissions vehicle, powered by hydrogen and oxygen, emitting only water.

“This project is the largest renewable energy-powered transit depot and transit depot microgrid in the nation; it is also the first facility on the East Coast to produce green hydrogen on-site,” said County Executive Elrich. “Montgomery County is providing a sustainable model for the nation to follow. It is great to see this bus depot microgrid move from concept to construction so quickly thanks to our ongoing partnership with AlphaStruxure and their related companies; we already have five microgrids in operation or development, with more underway. This project will both ensure that County services are prepared for the increasingly extreme weather due to climate change as well as increasing our production of clean energy.”

For more details on this project see the full press release.