Successfully electrifying our nation’s bus fleets requires a renewed appreciation for the often-overlooked bus maintenance depot. The Role of Maintenance Depots To keep electrified fleets charged and well-maintained, bus depots will carry an outsized operational role. Bus depots include facilities and equipment for vehicle fueling, tire changes, washing, cleaning and fare collection, as well as…

The $499-billion legislation contains nearly $370 billion in carbon reduction, resiliency, and clean energy incentives. Once fully adopted, analysts forecast the combination of grants and tax credits will cut U.S. carbon emissions 40 percent by 2030. Notable changes to the federal tax code include: Larger tax credits for renewable energy, clean transportation, and energy efficiency…

Initial efforts focused on the carbon footprint of government-owned buildings or set minimum standards for newly constructed buildings. Recent policies now require existing, privately owned commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings take action as well. Non-compliance will result in significant fines. As property owners confront their emission-reduction obligations, it will be important to prepare well in…

For enterprises, the availability of smaller, more-affordable versions of telecommunications carrier-grade gear enables fiber to serve as a core-to-edge solution — especially for large campuses or newly constructed facilities. POL combines these technology advances and falling fiber-optic infrastructure costs to provide IT managers with the option of developing their own optical networks, specifically designed for…

Seeing the Big Picture Large-scale capital projects come with inherent uncertainties — from underground utility conflicts to land acquisition disputes to the impacts of extreme weather. Despite these risks, conventional assessments often lack sufficient rigor or do not include key stakeholders when assessing risk factors. Even more troublesome, risk assessments frequently get skipped altogether. By…

To ensure technology system benefits are realized early in the planning stages, a Master Systems Integrator (MSI) can, if scoped correctly, develop a holistic, strategic approach. Consequently, engaging an MSI early in planning and design phases has emerged as a solution to tackle the complexity of technology integration.  Collaborative Systems Integration Multiple definitions of Master…

With Access Comes Opportunity Up until now, the advent of 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) mostly benefited mobile consumers, streaming content and connecting to affordable cellular access wherever they roam. Implementation impediments have held back its potential for large enterprises. 4G LTE is limited in its ability to serve locations with a high density of…

After comparing plug-in hybrid, battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell options, the takeaway is clear. Although the total cost of battery-electric buses (BEBs) remains slightly higher compared to hybrid vehicles, BEBs are the most cost-effective option today for reducing bus transit emissions. As vehicle technology continues to advance — battery costs are declining while range…

As fleets shift to become increasingly electric, dispatchable generation and stationary battery electric storage systems (BESS) can be deployed in a hybrid configuration, supplementing available grid power. Electric Buses Will Fuel Load Growth In response to the growth of battery electric buses (BEBs), electric utilities anticipate that entirely new distribution substations, feeders and other infrastructure…

A few 5G basics 5G wireless networks are being offered in two basic species. It is important to develop a basic understanding of each. Let’s cut through the jargon and sort out the marketing hype. High Band/mm Wave refers to the area of the electromagnetic spectrum above 24 GHz. Transmitted between microwave and infrared waves,…