Santa Clara VTA breaks ground on bus charging hub, hosts solar and backup power

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) broke ground on its Cerone Microgrid Bus Charging Project. The project incorporates solar panels and a microgrid that stores excess energy in on-site batteries alongside bus charging infrastructure for dozens of electric buses. The backups allow buses to stay charged in the event of major blackouts.

“Expanding our zero-emission bus fleet reflects my priority to modernize VTA’s operations while improving air quality and reliability for the communities we serve,” said Santa Clara VTA Board Chair and Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez. “It also advances our commitment to equity. These new buses will serve Eastern and Central San Jose—areas with high transit use and historically high pollution.” 

The project will allow Santa Clara VTA to capture and store its own renewable energy to couple with energy supplied from the grid to power its zero-emission buses. The agency has engaged Scale Microgrids to build out its microgrid system. The agency expects 35 battery-electric buses to be delivered next year, bringing it closer to meeting the state goal for all California transit agencies to solely operate zero-emission fleets by 2040.

"We're proud to partner with VTA to showcase how microgrids can support their ambitious transit fleet electrification goals," said Scale Microgrid CTO Neil Maguire. "By integrating on-site solar and battery storage, our microgrid will help VTA serve the region's public transit needs while reducing their electricity costs by over a third, cutting carbon emissions by more than 60% and, most importantly, ensuring reliable operations to continue to serve the community even during power outages on the grid."

The new fleet of buses will use automated smart charging that will take place overnight, allowing Santa Clara VTA to utilize reduced overnight energy costs and have the buses charged for their routes each morning.  To meet Santa Clara VTA’s increased electricity demand, utility provider PG&E is upgrading the electrical capacity of the Cerone Bus Division by 3 megawatts.

Altogether, Santa Clara VTA projects it will save approximately $1.2 million a year on energy, which the agency says is a savings it can put toward other operating needs.