An innovative project to charge dozens of electric transit buses broke ground at San Jose, California’s Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (VTA) Cerone Bus Division. 

The Cerone Microgrid Project pairs bus charging infrastructure with solar panels and a microgrid, which stores electricity onsite in large batteries and can keep buses accused in the event of a major blackout. 

VTA’s New Project

The inclusion of a Microgrid and solar panels makes the project unique among similar endeavors, as it will allow VTA to collect its own renewable energy to pair with grid electricity and power its zero-emission bus operations. 

The microgrid is being built for VTA by Scale Microgrids to provide VTA with a sustainable and reliable platform to power its growing fleet of electric buses. Thirty-five battery-electric buses are expected to be delivered to VTA in 2026, which will take VTA a step closer to meeting the state goal for all California transit agencies to operate zero-emission fleets by 2040.

"By integrating on-site solar and battery storage, our microgrid will help VTA serve the region's public transit needs while reducing their electricity costs by over a third, cutting carbon emissions by more than 60%, and — most importantly — ensuring reliable operations to continue to serve the community even during power outages on the grid," said Neil Maguire, Scale's chief technology officer. 

Bringing Sustainability to the Community

VTA’s Board Chair and Campbell Mayor Sergio Lopez lauded the agency’s commitment to helping to protect the environment in Santa Clara County.

“Expanding our zero-emission bus fleet reflects my priority to modernize VTA’s operations while improving air quality and reliability for the communities we serve,” said Lopez. “It also advances our commitment to equity. These new buses will serve Eastern and Central San Jose — areas with high transit use and historically high pollution,” Lopez said.

Automated smart charging will occur overnight, allowing VTA to minimize electrical costs and have the buses ready for service each morning. To meet VTA’s increased need for electricity, PG&E is upgrading the electrical capacity of the Cerone Division by 3 megawatts.

San Jose Clean Energy also supports this endeavor’s goal of reducing harmful vehicle emissions.

Lehigh University’s Institute of Cyber Physical Infrastructure is a leading research entity in the bright grid space, partnering with VTA to support the research and planning of the electric fleet rollout.

Altogether, VTA is projected to save approximately $1.2 million per year on energy costs, which can be allocated toward other operating needs, such as transit service, according to the agency.