ION Charge Corp potential electric vehicle charging station highway signage design in Red Deer County. (Red Deer County council agenda Oct. 4 p. 96)

By Alessia Proietti

Business Service Industrial District

Red Deer County re-designates land for potential solar electric vehicle charging station

Oct 4, 2022 | 5:11 PM

A potential solar-powered electric vehicle charging station is one step closer to Red Deer County.

County council unanimously gave second and third reading at their meeting on Tuesday to a bylaw re-designating 20 acres of land from Agricultural (AG) District to Business Service Industrial (BSI) District.

The land borders southeast of the QEII and Highway 42 intersection. First reading for the bylaw was given on Sept. 6, 2022.

The re-designation is to accommodate a project by ION Charge Corp. to build a fully-standalone ultra-fast Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging station, including:

• A two megawatt solar farm with approximately 3,500 solar photovoltaic panels located along the east and west portion of the site
• Six EV charging stations along the existing service road to the north of the site
• Electronic data processing to house computer systems for digital transactions
• Electric storage system
• Rest area

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Layout for ION Charging Corp. stations with solar canopies. (Supplied)

Ryan Tourigny, Senior Vice-President for Development at ION Charge Corp., says in comparison to current charging stations, ION’s can support multiple users simultaneously at an ultra-fast speed, fully charging, depending on the vehicle, in five to 20 minutes, and would be more cost efficient for consumers compared to gasoline vehicles.

For the public hearing, only one letter of concern was received noting driver safety concerns by panel glare, visual impact, and effect on farmland and natural habitats.

Bryan Romanesky, Chief Executive Officer of urban planner Citytrend, responded to the concerns, stating not only will a glare study be completed but advanced technology has reduced sun glare off panels. He also says that the area was classified by the County as industrially economically beneficial due to its location near the highway, maintaining natural vegetation surrounding the solar panels and leaving farmland behind with a 500 metre distance from a nearby cattle farm. Finally, he says 13 vehicles per day are expected at the facility during its early years, keeping traffic low.

The company also states an extensive consultation with local stakeholder located within an 800 metre radius was completed in mid-2022.

“This is the perfect place in Alberta. There is no better location,” said Tourigny. “With easy access from all directions, off the highway, using the existing paved service road into the facility and then back on the highway for their journeys.”

Conceptual Plan for ION Charge Corp. electric vehicle charging station in Red Deer County. (Red Deer County council meeting agenda Oct. 4 p. 102)

Landowners David and Mark Kaun spoke in support of the bylaw, stating the rate of electric vehicles is increasing and the project would align with the county’s progressive reputation.

“I’m a farmer. I also harvest the sun with my plants,” said the Kaun family. “We’re growing plants but now we’re going to grow electricity instead.”

County officials say the development permit is the next stage in the process, where the site’s final design will also be shared with council for its visual impact to the area.