South Capitol Street Circulator Site
Client: Washington, D.C., Department of Transportation
Dates: 09/16/2016–03/01/2022
Location(s): Washington, D.C.; United States
Project Description:
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) operates the DC Circulator bus line with six routes serving Washington, D.C., and Rosslyn, Virginia. Its fleet consists of electric, clean diesel, and hybrid (diesel and electric) buses. The District needed to expand its electric charging infrastructure to support plans to expand its electric bus fleet. DDOT has a small charging facility on South Capitol Street, east of the Anacostia River, and had plans to increase the bus charging capacity, add maintenance and wash bays, add employee offices and breakrooms, and add a solar photovoltaic (PV) canopy over the bus chargers. The facility was designed to charge 46 buses (an increase over the current 14 charging stations) and use the solar PV canopy and a battery to provide electricity to the chargers. DDOT awarded the project to Jacobs Engineering as the prime contractor, with GPTech as a subcontractor.
GPTech led the design of the solar PV canopy, including structural and electrical system design. The scope included creating preliminary designs, engineering calculations, drawings, system specifications, vendor outreach, and cost estimates. GPTech also examined different options for the solar PV canopy and bus charging system, including battery storage and standalone microgrid capabilities. GPTech’s final deliverables included conceptual designs of the solar PV canopy, which were used as a basis for selecting a PV contractor to do the final designs and installation. Jacobs and GPTech worked together to make sure each component contributed to a quality facility.
Goals & Achievements:
GPTech designed the solar PV canopy for the South Capitol Street Circulator site.
