AlphaStruxure has announced the start of construction on a microgrid infrastructure project at David F. Bone Equipment Maintenance and Transit Operations (EMTOC) in Montgomery County, Maryland, US. 

This development is set to create the country's largest renewable energy-powered transit depot and the first on the US East Coast to produce on-site green hydrogen.

It will include electric bus charging and on-site production of green hydrogen powered by solar and battery energy storage. 

AlphaStruxure is a joint venture (JV) of Carlyle and Schneider Electric. It will finance the project through an energy-as-a-service business model. 

It will cover all aspects of design, construction, and long-term operations for the project without requiring capital expenditures from the county. 

The existing depot will continue to operate without disrupting transit services throughout the 28-phase construction process. 

The microgrid project, expected to be completed in 2025, will support the county's transition to zero-emissions buses. 

It is expected to accommodate 200 hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEBs) by 2035.  

The microgrid will also contribute renewable energy back to the national grid and provide a power source for the county's transit services. 

It is a step towards Montgomery County's ambitious goal of achieving a 100% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions by 2035.  

The microgrid is anticipated to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 4,000 tonnes of CO₂ annually. 

It will provide power supply to the facility's mixed fleet of battery electric and FCEBs, as well as its five buildings, even during extended power outages. 

AlphaStruxure and Montgomery County will work closely with Pepco to deploy the microgrid swiftly, with the ability to send up to 2MW of renewable energy back to the utility grid. 

The microgrid will be interconnected to the Pepco utility grid and capable of operating independently in island mode.  

Partners for this project include Mortenson for design-build and JV partner Schneider Electric for the battery energy storage system, microgrid controls, switchgear, and services. 

WSP will serve as the engineer of record, AZZO network and cybersecurity, The Mobility House charge management software, and Heliox electric vehicle charger hardware. 

In January this year, AlphaStruxure secured a contract to design, build, and operate integrated microgrid infrastructure at the New Terminal One at John F. Kennedy International Airport, US.