The Beneficial Electrification League (BEL) has organized an initiative to accelerate the deployment of electric school buses in electric cooperative service territories throughout the country. 

In the nation’s 13,185 unified school districts, rural electric co-ops (like Dairyland’s member cooperatives) serve more than 50 percent of the territory in 5,881 of those districts. Of these, 3,177 districts have 15 percent or more of the student population below the poverty line.

The effort brings together cooperative organizations representing over 300 local utilities in more than 20 states with the aim of facilitating coordination between utilities and school districts on electric school bus programs. Dairyland is among nine Generation & Transmission (G&T) cooperatives participating in the initiative. 

BEL launches this coalition effort in advance of federal funds targeted to electric school buses in the Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs act passed by Congress in 2021.
Dairyland Senior Innovation Engineer John McWilliams serves on the BEL Advisory Council. The BEL is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to increasing understanding on the benefits of electrification through education and serving as a clearinghouse and facilitator.

What is beneficial electrification?
Beneficial electrification includes the application of electricity to end-uses where doing so satisfies at least one of the following conditions, without adversely affecting the others:
•Saves consumers money over time
•Benefits the environment and reduces greenhouse gas emissions
•Improves product quality or consumer quality of life
•Fosters a more robust and resilient grid

Electric vehicles are a primary example of beneficial electrification. BE programs are a valuable opportunity to engage both electric utilities and environmental groups in the effort to identify solutions that work well for the end-use consumers, local communities and the environment.