By Dave Newman
There’s a good chance that your next district school bus purchase or retrofit will be an EV. While more than 20,000 students rode to and from school each day on diesel-fueled buses in 2021, according to the School Bus Fleet Fact Book, today more schools are adding or replacing buses with electric alternatives. This is a good thing, as health experts and policymakers agree that regular exposure to diesel emissions contributes to asthma and other respiratory diseases.
A recent study from the World Resources Institute found that during June 2023 there were nearly 6,000 electric school buses committed, on order or in operation. That number has increased since and it’s a hot topic among school districts across the country looking to go green and reduce reliance on damaging fossil fuels by switching to zero-emission electric vehicles.
The installation of solar PV carports and canopies can help offset the power increases districts experience as they add battery charging stations for bus electrification.
Unlike traditional school buses, however, “refueling” EV school buses is not as easy as pulling up to a local gas station. Electric school buses require special EV charging stations that can provide the necessary power to charge the battery storage in each bus. While this reduces the use of diesel fuel, the addition of electric buses and their required charging infrastructure will greatly increase the district’s energy consumption and electric bills.
Why Solar PV?
Here’s where installing solar photovoltaic or PV as part of a district wide energy-savings project can be a perfect match. Solar PV helps by directly generating and contributing electricity to the grid, reducing overall consumption as districts generate their own power.
The installation of solar PV carports and canopies can help offset the power increases districts experience as they add battery charging stations for bus electrification.School districts considering this option will also need to add battery storage to their carports and canopies to provide direct power at non-optimal solar generation times – like nighttime when buses are not in use and charging. As an added benefit for educators, administrators and parents, these EV chargers could be used for passenger vehicles in mornings and afternoons while school buses are on the road.
While solar PV isn’t a complete answer for charging large school bus fleets, as more buses are converted or purchased to run on electric power, any on-site electric generation will reduce overall energy costs while providing additional benefits like shading and protecting individuals and cars from the elements.