As part of Phase 1 TIGGER project, AC Transit installed 510 kW of photovoltaic (solar) panels on the roof of its central maintenance facility in Oakland, CA. Powered by the sun, this system generates approximately 697,000 kWh of renewable electricity a year. The electricity will be used to generate hydrogen for fueling agency’s fuel cell buses.

Since the cost of solar equipment dropped significantly during the first phase of this project, AC Transit realized about $2 million worth of savings. This savings will allow the transit agency to purchase additional 200 kW of PV panels for one of its other operating divisions. This second installation is expected to generate approximately 273,000 kWh of renewable electricity per year.

The new solar system will produce enough electricity to operate AC Transit’s electrolyzer, which uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen and is capable of making 66 kg of hydrogen a day. In addition, locally produced electricity saves energy by eliminating the losses associated with electricity transmission from distant production facility.