The Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) was a project conceived by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), a federal department of the Government of Canada and involved multiple partners.
DLSC community was a community located in Okotoks, Alberta Canada. The unique feature of DLSC was that more than 90 per cent of space heating needs for the community’s 52 single-detached homes was met by solar thermal energy - a feat that was unprecedented anywhere else in the world, at the time.
Ground was broken in the spring of 2005 and was the first major implementation in North America of a technology known as seasonal solar thermal energy storage. The system started operating in the summer of 2007.
An original objective of the DLSC project was to obtain sufficient grants to fully fund all costs during construction and for a period of 4 years of operation following substantial completion, including construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning of the project (if required, following a 4-year testing period).
After nearly 17 years of continuous monitoring (far exceeding the initial 4-year test period), performance analysis and improvements, a significant body of knowledge and experience has been learned about this type of system for Canadian applications.
The DLSC community was frequently visited by professionals and students, as the this project helped inform and inspire new ideas for communities in Canada, China, United States and several European countries.
Unfortunately, the system started showing signs of deterioration in 2020, resulting in significant maintenance issues. System components, knowledge, and technical expertise for repairs were becoming increasingly challenging to find. In response to system failures, the Drake Landing Solar Company added redundancies to the system to be sure that homes in the community were receiving heat.
After a thorough investigation on available next steps, it was determined that the significant reinvestment required to have the system operate reliably, was simply something that neither the Drake Landing Solar Company board nor the collective community could afford.
In 2024, a decommissioning process for the Drake Landing Solar Community began, where the majority of the 52 homes were converted to natural gas-fired furnaces.
Over its lifetime, the Drake Landing Solar Community inspired new ideas and proved what was possible for sustainable energy. Unprecedented in the world, the innovative project garnered support from industry, academia, and government – all while drawing attention and prestigious accolades from around the globe.