Oakland, Calif.-based AC Transit, and a coalition of regional transit partners serving seven million people in the Bay Area, presented the newest hydrogen production and dispensing station in Emeryville, Calif., to fuel the latest generation of zero-emission fuel-cell buses operating in AC Transit’s service area, and in the coming year, throughout the region.

“For over a decade, AC Transit has been developing the most comprehensive, zero-emission, fuel-cell transit program in North America and operating zero-emission buses in real-world service, said AC Transit GM David Armijo. “Now, with increased fueling capacity, we have a greater capability to offer clean, quiet, zero-emission transportation to the communities we serve.”

AC Transit’s newest on-site energy station, which was engineered by Linde North America, Jacobs and EPC and built by W.L. Butler Construction, demonstrates the use of “renewable” hydrogen — hydrogen produced using Proton OnSite’s solar-powered electrolyzer.

Engineering and construction firm Cupertino Electric Inc. installed a 510 kilowatt DC solar photovoltaic system for AC Transit that will generate energy to help fuel the transit system’s hydrogen-powered buses running throughout the Bay Area.

The station also features Linde’s latest advancements in compression and dispensing technology, enabling buses to be refueled at rates up to 5 kilograms/minute — a time comparable to refueling diesel buses. Thanks to a major grant from the California Air Resources Board, one dispenser is accessible to the public for fueling hydrogen fuel-cell electric passenger cars, including the Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-CELL, now on the road in both Northern and Southern California.