Solar Feasibility Study for Chapel Hill Transit Electric Buses

Chapel Hill Transit (CHT) is the second largest transit system in North Carolina, providing over seven million rides per year to local communities around the Town of Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Town of Chapel Hill has pledged to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In 2022, The Town of Chapel Hill, North Carolina hired Optony Inc. for program support on the Solar Feasibility Study at Chapel Hill Transit Bus Yard Facility. Optony analyzed bus parking lots and park and rides which had potential to be outfitted with solar panels to charge electric buses.With a major emphasis on net-zero GHG emissions, the Town has begun investigating all financial, legal, regulatory, and environmental impacts and ramifications of converting the Transit facility to a self-sufficient energy producer that is capable of providing charging for a fleet of transit battery electric buses (BEBs) and operational and supervisory staff electric vehicles (EVs). Optony modeled a solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) at Chapel Hill Transit Bus Yard Facility for the Town of Chapel Hill to offset current and future energy usage by the transportation system. Optony provided detailed technology considerations including the addition of a Microgrid Energy Management System to reduce overall demand charge through peak shaving.

See more information on Chapel Hill Transit at the Chapelboro newsletter here.