Drake Landing Solar Community update

Drake Landing, a development in Okotoks AB, which was built to use an included district heating system, is having to consider new plans as the aging, custom built system is breaking down and may be too expensive or difficult to fix. Many system components were built specifically for Drake Landing, so finding replacement parts is tough. It may have to be decommissioned if repairs aren’t feasible.

This district heating system was a groundbreaking technology in 2006 that attracted the attention of people around the world who wanted to see a district heating system in action. Hot summer sun was collected and stored underground, then released over the winter to heat the development's houses. The system was capable of supplying over 90% of the heating requirements and in some cases reached 100%. 

Some residents have already pulled the plug on the district system to heat their homes and have switched to natural gas furnaces. Because the 52 homes were built to a higher standard, with higher than code insulation values, an air-tight envelope and energy efficient windows, the project isn’t a complete loss. There are many options that could be used in this development to get back to a more efficient posture again.

Possibly one of the easiest upgrades would be to abandon the idea of storing heat underground, and replacing the 800 solar collectors with newer, cheaper solar electric panels. All that electricity could accumulate in battery packs in each home. Whatever the homes weren’t using in real time, once the batteries were fully charged, could be sold to the grid to offset any power taken from the grid when solar output is low. The furnaces could be converted to electric furnaces, something Albertans might not be familiar with, but are commonplace in Quebec, where electricity rates are lower. 

Needless to say, the naysayers came out of the woodwork to cut the plan down, but the only real problem with the plan was the lack of securing sustainable maintenance and parts lifecycle into the future. It didn’t help that no other neighbourhood adopted the system for themselves, because had the system been more widely adopted across the province or country, it would have created an industry of support and supplies to keep the system going longer.