New Jersey launches Eco-Hub pilot to test using electric school buses to support power grid, cut costs
TRENTON, N.J. — New Jersey environmental and utility officials on Thursday announced a pilot program aimed at testing how electric school buses and bi-directional charging technology could help support the electric grid, lower energy costs and improve air quality.
The Department of Environmental Protection and the Board of Public Utilities said the new Eco-Hub pilot will demonstrate the potential benefits of electric vehicle bi-directional charging — technology that allows vehicles to both charge and discharge energy, sending stored battery power to buildings or back to the electricity grid.
In the first phase, officials said two schools — Christina Seix Academy in Trenton and the Hanover Park Regional High School District — will be equipped with bi-directional charging stations and electric school buses.
The schools will also receive power from on-site solar panels and battery storage systems managed by a microgrid controller designed to store and transfer excess energy captured through solar generation. Officials said the setup is intended to reduce reliance on the electric grid and increase the use of renewable energy.
The pilot is funded through the DEP’s Electric School Bus program and an additional $4 million from the BPU to support bi-directional and vehicle-to-grid infrastructure, officials said.
“New Jersey is leading the way in clean transit, transforming school buses into energy hubs that power our schools and will add over 2,100 MWh of storage to the grid,” said NJBPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy. “The Eco-Hub pilot provides a real-world roadmap to scale this smart infrastructure, cutting pollution while protecting our students and our energy future.”
“Schools are increasingly turning to electric school buses to protect students from harmful diesel emissions,” said Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “The Eco-Hub project provides an opportunity to build on this trend, better protecting children and our air quality.”
Officials said diesel-powered school buses and other fossil-fuel vehicles can expose students, drivers and residents to pollutants linked to heart and lung illnesses and premature death, and that the program is designed to help reduce those impacts while supporting the state’s emissions goals.
New Jersey’s Electric School Bus Grant Program, a partnership of DEP and BPU, is expected to put more than 240 electric school buses into operation, officials said. But the state has more than 21,000 school buses and nearly 500,000 other medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which officials said represents significant untapped potential for bi-directional charging technology. Officials cited an estimate that converting all New Jersey school buses to bi-directional-capable electric buses could add more than 2,179 megawatt-hours of storage to the grid.
Officials said eight additional schools are undergoing feasibility screenings to estimate grid capacity, space availability, timelines and costs. Those assessments are expected to lead to the design and implementation of at least two more Eco-Hub projects.
DEP and BPU said the Eco-Hub sites are intended to provide benefits including reduced diesel emissions exposure, data to guide development of a future vehicle-to-grid framework, lower energy costs by drawing electricity from on-site solar and storage, reduced grid pressure during peak demand, and continued power during outages.
Officials said the program will support schools in deploying electric buses, bi-directional charging stations, solar arrays, battery storage and microgrid controllers, while data collection will help the state and its utilities better understand the financial and operational benefits of bi-directional charging.
