CPPower to convert the nation’s largest electric school bus fleet into grid-ready resources
Electric buses in Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools to deliver grid reliability through new CPPower partnership with leading electric school bus solutions provider, Highland Electric Fleets
BALTIMORE, November 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Today, the national leader in unlocking the power of customer Distributed Energy Resources (DERs), CPPower Energy (“CPPower“) announced a new partnership with Mountain Electric Fleets (“Mountain”)to use the nation’s largest EV school bus (EVSB) fleet to date to provide network services and increase reliability for PJM, the largest US network operator CPower will work with Highland to enable demand response solutions, allowing Highland to reduce electrical loads using EVSB from Maryland’s Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to keep the grid in balance.
“We are excited to partner with Highland to leverage their EVSB storage as flexible and clean distributed energy sources to support the grid when required for reliability and unlock a whole new revenue stream,” said John Horton, CEO and President, CPower. “Our partnerships with electric vehicle fleet owners, charging operators and local school districts across the country show that participation in grid utility programs can significantly reduce the costs of electrification, supporting a local community’s resilience and greening the grid .”
“Electric school buses will play a major role in providing healthier and more resilient communities across the US,” said Duncan McIntyre, CEO, Highland Electric Fleet. “Electric school buses will also play active roles supporting local electric grids and wholesale power markets. The partnership with CPower enables demand flexibility, meaning MCPS – and ultimately school districts across the country – can support both network resilience as well as decarbonisation.”
Because school buses operate on a consistent daily schedule, electric buses like those at MCPS are ideal resources to provide network resiliency services. CPower will manage the flow of electricity at EVSB charging stations to reduce demand on the grid when needed. PJM recently updated its market rules to allow EV charging assets to participate in its capacity and ancillary services markets, but does not yet allow the participation of two-way charging assets, which would optimize environmental benefits by allowing EVSB batteries export additional clean energy capacity to the grid. CPower hopes that with FERC Order 2222 and other policy developments, they will be able to unlock even greater value from these assets in the future.
CPower helps project owners and developers across the US unlock the value of their customers’ DERs to drive energy flexibility and grid reliability. The company currently manages approximately 6.3 GW of DER capacity at more than 17,000 sites – more than any other player in the US
About Cpower Power Management
CPower Energy Management is the leading national energy solutions provider guiding customers to a clean and reliable energy future. We manage approximately 6.3 GW of capacity across the US, forming virtual power plants that are good for the grid and great for the community. CPower maximizes the value of our customers’ electricity loads, facility assets and distributed energy resources by providing flexibility, capacity and other ancillary services to the grid. With more than two decades of experience, we have grown to offer more than 60 local energy programs, partnering with grid operators and utilities to serve more than 17,000 locations, delivering approximately 286,000 metric tons of CO2 reductions only in 2021. CPPower is based on Baltimore, Maryland and is owned by LS Power, a development, investment and operations company focused on the power and energy infrastructure sector. For more information, visit: www.cpowerenergymanagement.com.
SOURCE CPower Energy Management
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