Hampton Jitney building a solar-powered microgrid with an eye on future EV fleet

An East End transportation giant is doubling down on green energy with a solar-powered microgrid that could become a regional hub for other commercial vehicles and a future fleet of battery-powered Hampton Jitneys.

For months, Hampton Jitney, which operates from a primary hub in Calverton, has been working with energy management firm Sprocket Power to design a facility that will use solar panels, commercial battery storage and electric vehicle charging for a planned fleet of electric buses for travel throughout the metro area.

The facility will also be a regional center for other commercial users, including those from local schools and transportation companies that already lease space at the company’s Calverton yard, to charge future electric vehicles, according to Sprocket and Hampton Jitney.

While the plan may help Jitney reduce its carbon footprint, it’s also economical: the transportation company expects to cut per-mile fuel costs by more than 75% under the new plan, according to a company statement. 

Even while the federal government has begun eliminating or sunsetting generous federal tax credits for solar and batteries, Sprocket has been able to time the work to receive available credits while working with PSEG Long Island to receive credits for battery availability, said Maria Fields, Sprocket’s co-founder and chief executive. Phase one of the ongoing project is expected to be completed by year's end, she said. 

Making sure Hampton Jitney received the credits by scheduling the work within federal deadlines is “a very nice offset to the cost of a project like this," Fields said. “They wanted to be sure they beat that deadline."

The total cost of the project wasn’t available. The tax credit can cut around a third of the cost of the project.

The Calverton property already has 10 level 2 chargers for customers who park at the site. The company also has installed a single DC fast charger that can be moved around the lot to fast charge bigger vehicles quickly — a few hours versus up to eight hours for level 2.

The company has installed 250 kilowatts of solar power for the first phase of the operation, with panels on the facility’s roof. The second phase will see another 200 kilowatts.

There’s also a 500-kilowatt battery in place. “That’s there now and tied to the building," Fields said. “That’s the core of this microgrid."

The system, which is monitored and managed by Sprocket, is connected to the LIPA grid and is able to buy power at lower prices during off-peak hours to store in the battery, which can also be charged by the solar panels. The battery is also available to the grid during peak times if LIPA needs a power boost in the area, for which the company receives payments. The microgrid can provide power to the Hampton Jitney facility if LIPA power isn’t available.

The plan calls for 1 megawatt of DC fast-charging for the facility, which has a peak energy usage of around 200 kilowatts, Fields said. By providing its own power and maximizing when it buys off-peak power from the LIPA grid, it minimizes the impact on the local power grid, benefiting rather than drawing. Such a facility would otherwise have required LIPA and PSEG to shore up the grid around the planned power usage for the chargers.

“There are much smarter ways now to manage that demand where it occurs," Fields said.

Other vehicles at the site are Suffolk Transportation buses, local school buses and regional transportation short buses for the North and South forks. Fields said there’s currently a demonstration project of a Jitney that’s converted to electric power, but noted that larger buses readily available for the full Jitney fleet are likely three years away.

“Once there is a bus that can go to Manhattan and back, they may electrify all of them," Fields said. The expectation is that once the full hub is built out, “lots of people with trucks and school buses" will look to the facility to power up as a way to avoid their own infrastructure costs.

Andrew Lynch, vice president of the family-owned Hampton Jitney, in a statement said the plan “allows us to stabilize and control our long-term operating costs as we commit to absolute leadership in fleet electrification."

In an interview, Lynch, who sits on the board of the Cornell Cooperative Extension, said he envisions hubs such as the one in Calverton be a big benefit to local farmers, helping them reduce their biggest energy cost: fuel.

He emphasized that the battery storage technology and design at his facility are quite different from batteries that have experienced fires around the state, including in East Hampton. The battery chemistry is improved and the design more modular without water suppression systems. The company views its hub as important on several levels. 

"Building this microgrid represents the next chapter in our commitment to the communities we serve," he said in the statement. “It ensures we continue to provide completely reliable service while driving the transition to a sustainable future."

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.