The City of Leduc announced its new solar carport and four electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, located at ATB Financial, 4821 50th Ave., are now fully operational and open to the public. Both projects represent a total cost of $217,000.
The projects were funded by the City of Leduc in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre, as we continue our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and finding green energy alternatives.
Through its Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) invested more than $69,000, representing 50 per cent of the costs associated with the electric vehicle charging stations, with the City of Leduc funding the remaining 50 per cent.
Through the federal government's Budget 2022, Canada is advancing the deployment of 50,000 new chargers supported by $400 million in ZEVIP investments and $500 million in financing through the Canada Infrastructure Bank. This is in addition to the more than 34,500 already selected for funding through NRCan.
The Municipal Climate Change Action Centre (MCCAC) is a partnership of Alberta Municipalities, Rural Municipalities of Alberta and the Government of Alberta. Since 2009, the MCCAC has supported Alberta's municipalities in installing 29.6 MW of solar electricity generation capacity across the province, saving taxpayers $7.7 million annually. The City of Leduc solar carport's solar modules were installed with financial support from the MCCAC's Alberta Municipal Solar Program as part of a grant that covered 21 per cent of the solar carport costs, with the City of Leduc funding the remaining 79 per cent.
The City of Leduc's solar carport has the capacity to generate 20,000 kWh of clean electricity a year for the four electric vehicle chargers. This solar-generated electricity feeds into the grid where it will be immediately available to EV drivers using the solar carport's newly installed level 2 and level 3 chargers. This arrangement makes the solar carport one of the first of its kind in Canada. The carport's 823 solar PV modules will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 285 tonnes over 25 years.
"The opening of the solar carport and electric vehicle charging station provides Leduc residents and visitors another incentive to visit, shop, and work in downtown Leduc, while continuing to support our local economy," said City of Leduc Mayor Bob Young. "This facility was built with the support from the federal and provincial governments, and it strengthens our commitment to finding ways to reduce our carbon footprint and using green energy wherever possible."
"We're making electric vehicles more affordable and charging more accessible where Canadians live, work and play," said the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "Investing in more EV chargers, like the ones announced today in Alberta, will put more Canadians in the driver's seat on the road to a net-zero future and help achieve our climate goals."
"Our government is making milestone investments in electric vehicle manufacturing and related infrastructure that our province needs," said the Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism, Associate Minister of Finance and Member of Parliament for Edmonton Centre. "Today's announcement of four electric vehicle chargers in the City of Leduc will not only help current residents' transportation needs, but provide infrastructure for our future. Thank you to everyone that came together to make this possible. Let's keep working together to build a greener world for the next generation of Albertans and all Canadians."
"Sunlight feeding into solar panels becomes one of the cheapest vehicle fuels available. I commend the City of Leduc's innovative spirit in building one of Canada's first electric vehicle charging solar carports," said Trina Innes, Executive Director of Sustainability Services, Alberta Municipalities.
Electric vehicle charging stations funding breakdown:
- Total project value: $138,608
- Total city funding: $69,304 (50%)
- Total federal grant funding: $69,304 (50%)
Solar carport funding breakdown:
- Total project value: $86,727
- Total city funding: $68,502 (79%)
- Total provincial grant funding: $18,225 (21%)
