From PDC:
On Wednesday, June 8, at noon, the Portland Development Commission (PDC) will unveil a new electric vehicle charging station and solar canopy on a PDC-owned parking lot at 3620 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The grid-tied solar canopy, one of only two of its kind in Portland, was constructed by EV4 Oregon, which markets it as an Energy Transfer Merchant (ETM™); it is owned by Lease It Inc. The canopy was built locally, using photovoltaic panels manufactured by Hillsboro-based SolarWorld, and is available from North Coast Electric in Portland.
The canopy has two Ecotality Blink Level-2 publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations available for community use, with the capacity to fully charge six electric vehicles per day. The Blink commercial locations form a critical component of the charging public infrastructure to be developed by Ecotality as project manager of the EV Project.
“This project exemplifies innovative work that creates local green jobs and at the same time, enhances the community and reinforces our support for neighborhood economic development (pdf),” said Mayor Sam Adams. “It joins nearby businesses Yeebo and Conexiones, recent PDC clients, in demonstrating our ongoing commitment to neighborhood investment.”
William P. Emberlin, president of Lease-It Inc., expressed his enthusiasm to be a part of the progressive move toward renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest. “This solar canopy/charging station makes an important contribution to reduced oil consumption without adding additional stress to the electrical grid,” he said. “As a local business person I consider ownership of an ETM™ a good investment, and I hope to add more locations throughout Oregon and Washington.”
The installation represents the continued deployment of the charging station infrastructure necessary to support the continued roll out of electric vehicles. The charging station will be able to service cars such as the Chevrolet Volt, Nissan LEAF and a variety of electric vehicles under development by Drive Oregon companies.
For further information on Portland’s progressive EV strategy, please visit the city’s electric vehicle website, Chargeportland.com, powered by PDC.
