Friday 20 March 2020

Electric school buses to power homes in Virginia

Electric school buses which will serve as a power resource and help balance the national grid at times of peak demand will soon hit the roads of Virginia.

The move comes as part of Dominion Energy's plans to connect 50 electric buses with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) infrastructure - it says the electric school buses, which are expected to reduce operation and maintenance costs for schools by up to 60%, will store and inject energy onto the grid during periods of high demand when the buses are not needed for transport.

Thomas F. Farrell, II, Dominion Energy Chairman, President and CEO said: "We are excited to move forward with our commitment to bringing the benefits of electric school buses to the customers and communities we serve.

"This is an innovative, sustainable solution that will help the environment, protect children's health, make the electric grid stronger and free up money for our schools."

Mark Webb, Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Dominion Energy, said: “The unique profile of electric school buses, where they park, the hours they operate and the miles they run, means much of the electric battery capacity isn’t needed much of the time, creating a great opportunity for shared battery use.”