Most of us are probably familiar with the idea of schools being a physical location that we might be directed to in the case of a natural disaster. But a new way that the educational system can assist in emergencies is using electric buses as mobile energy resources when not in use.
This novel use of electric buses is being piloted on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada with BC Hydro (the provincial electric company) acting in collaboration with NorthX Climate Tech and PacifiCan and technical and equipment contributions from other partners, including RIDE Canada and Fuse Power Management.
As described in this article, “BC Hydro says an electric school bus battery can store up to 200 kilowatt hours of electricity — enough to power 75 single-family homes for nearly two hours. Under the pilot, buses will still transport students during the day but will act as mobile energy resources when not in use. BC Hydro says the buses could be deployed to help stabilize the grid during periods of high electricity demand or provide backup power to critical buildings during outages.”
Does your local school district use electric buses? Could a project like this work in your location?
Watch this space.