Electric School Buses as Mobile Microgrids for Emergencies
- Emergency & Local Government Microgrids Research
Marin Holt
- 0
- 5 minutes read
- Electric school buses with bidirectional charging can function as mobile microgrids.
- These mobile microgrids can provide support during energy emergencies and extreme weather events.
- A teleconference highlighted how electric school buses can help Californians save money, cut pollution, and keep the lights on.
Electric school buses are emerging as a powerful tool for enhancing community resilience, offering benefits that extend far beyond student transportation. These vehicles, equipped with bidirectional charging capabilities, can function as mobile microgrids, providing crucial support during energy emergencies and extreme weather events.
This new application was a key focus of a recent teleconference, “How Electric School Buses Can Help Californians Save Money, Cut Pollution and Keep the Lights On,” organized by The Climate Center. Panelists highlighted how electric school buses can not only reduce air pollution and diesel consumption but also actively support the electrical grid.
With their ability to send power back to the grid, a home, or even other electric vehicles (EVs), these buses can be a lifeline during times of grid stress. This means they can help keep essential services running, such as lights and refrigerators, and even charge other EVs when they are needed most.
Electric school buses are being touted as a potential lifeline for marginalized communities, often cited as more vulnerable to power outages. The promise is that these vehicles could function as mobile microgrids, offering backup power during emergencies, yet concrete examples of this capability being deployed in California remain elusive. These areas are often more susceptible to the impacts of climate change and power outages, making the backup power capabilities of these mobile microgrids invaluable.
To facilitate the widespread adoption and effective deployment of these resources, mutual aid agreements are being developed. Robert Stafford, a research associate at the World Resources Institute, discussed a template agreement designed to streamline collaboration between school bus operators, school districts, utilities, and emergency responders. Such agreements, similar to those used by utilities for restoration efforts, can ensure that electric school buses are readily available to assist communities when they face disruptions.
Why It Matters
This development signifies a shift towards integrating distributed energy resources into grid management, demonstrating how transportation assets can provide grid services. This trend is reflected in the growing interest in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, with projections indicating the global V2G market could reach $74.6 billion by 2030.
Critical Perspective
While the article highlights the potential for electric school buses to provide 100 kW of power during outages, the practical implementation of these mobile microgrids faces significant hurdles, as seen with the limited success of Tesla’s Powerpack deployments in similar grid stabilization efforts. Historically, the ambitious promise of distributed energy resources to independently manage grid stability, like the early attempts with smart grid pilot programs that struggled with interoperability and cost-effectiveness, has often fallen short of expectations. Given the complexity of coordinating school districts, utilities, and emergency services, what are the long-term maintenance and operational costs associated with keeping these buses ready for emergency power deployment, and who will bear them?
Related: community microgrids for emergencies
