The Drake Landing Solar Community (DLSC) is a planned community in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, equipped with a central solar heating system and other energy efficient technology. This heating system is the first of its kind in North America, although much larger systems have been built in northern Europe. The 52 homes in the community are heated with a solar district heating system that is charged with heat originating from solar collectors on the garage roofs and is enabled for year-round heating by underground seasonal thermal energy storage (STES). The system was designed to model a way of addressing global warming and the of burning fossil fuels. The solar energy is captured by 800 solar panels located on the roofs of all 52 houses. It is billed as the first solar powered subdivision in North America, although its electricity and transportation needs are provided by conventional sources. In 2012 the installation achieved a world record solar fraction of 97%; that is, providing that amount of the community's heating requirements with solar energy over a one-year time span.
Read more about Drake Landing Solar Community: How It Works, Energy Centre, Borehole Thermal Energy System, Sponsors and Partners, Community Members, Local Sustainability, Costs and Financing, International Effects, Current Status
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