There are 480,000 school buses on the road in the U.S., more than any other form of mass transportation. Despite the climate and health risks, most still run on diesel. While some school districts want to switch to electric buses, the costs can be very high for cash-strapped educational systems. But in Virginia, a local utility company wants to help foot the bill and make use of the batteries in the buses to store power for the grid. Dominion Energy , an energy-service company that operates in eight states, plans to help all of the school districts in its service area in Virginia go electric, with 50 school buses by the end of 2020, a total of 1,000 by 2025, and a fully electric fleet by 2030. It’s already the largest deployment of electric school buses in the country. [Photo: courtesy Dominion Energy] “One of the things we’ve been focused on is not just improving our efficiency and our own operations but also on decarbonization,” says Mark Webb, senior vice president and chief innovation officer for Dominion Energy. “The greener the electric grid is, the more opportunities there are for folks who use that grid for different purposes to […]
Latest Articles
Using Candy and Jam to Protect Brazil’s Amazon Rainforest
Takeaways: Luiz Henrique Lopes Ferreira is a 22-year-old who makes and sells candies, jam and liqueurs from more than a hundred varieties of local...
These Upcycled Bricks Filter Pollution from Rainwater Runoff
Takeaways: AquiPor Technologies have created bricks that absorb runoff water and pollution from rainwater runoff.
The runoff management prevents particle pollution from reaching rivers...
The Secret to Saving Mountain Gorillas
Takeaways: 40 years ago, the population of mountain gorillas was listed as 'critically endangered'; now there are over 1000 gorillas.
One of the reasons...
Recycling Partnership Plans to Collect a Billion Pounds of Recyclables Each Year
Takeaways: The Recycling Partnership has successfully diverted more than 770 million pounds of waste from landfills.
They started in 2014 and have helped communities...
Minimass Is a 3D-Printed Solution to a Problem
Takeaways: Minimass is a 3D printed concrete beam that aims to reduce the carbon footprint in the construction industry.
This can reduce the amount...
France Produces Offshore Wind Power For the First Time
Takeaways: The Saint-Naizaire offshore wind farm in western France has produced the first megawatt-hours from French offshore wind.
France is expected to have 50...