Drake Landing, a solar energy community south of Calgary, loses its sizzle as system starts to fail | CBC News LoadedDrake Landing, once the leading solar heating community of its kind in North America, may have to revert to fossil fuels as the aging system is breaking down and may be too expensive or impossible to fix.A groundbreaking solar hearing community near Calgary is facing some big decisions. The future of the neighbourhood, once considered a world leader, is now in doubt.
Win multiple national and international building, environment and sustainability awards? Check. Check. "I just thought it was a really good plan, something that I thought would be long-lasting," said Wayne Bonnar, who was standing outside the two-storey house he purchased in 2017. Ivan, who is an original owner and runs the community's social media page, says many of the system's components were built specifically for Drake Landing, so finding replacement parts is difficult, if not impossible.Along with the homes, the $14.6-million project includes the "energy centre," which sits next to 144 underground, thermal energy storage bore holes dug 37 metres deep. The holes are underneath a small green space in the community.
It says the project was a success and, in fact, it was the first system in the world to achieve more than 90 per cent of the homes' required space heating — even reaching 100 per cent in 2015. It's unlikely that NRC will be involved in any type of refresh or refurbishment of the system. It said in an email to CBC News that it supported the project in its research, development and demonstration stages — not when it reaches the end of its life cycle.