North America's first solar-powered residential community has come to an end.
The decommissioning of the Drake Landing Solar Community is now underway and set to conclude by December 2025, marking the end of an innovative project that commenced in 2006 and brought international attention to Okotoks.
The solar community's 52 homes were powered by nearly 800 solar panels located on garage roofs, with over 90 per cent of residential space heating needs met by solar thermal energy, leading to a reduction of approximately five tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per home per year.
The project was conceived by Natural Resources Canada and managed by the Drake Landing Company, which is comprised of the Town of Okotoks, utility company ATCO, homebuilder Sterling Homes and property developer Anthem United, among other project participants and funding partners.
Following a period of deliberation by the Drake Landing Company, the board of directors decided last June to end the solar project, citing factors such as a lack of funding, extensive financial losses and maintenance issues, including the failure of critical components.
"Despite extensive efforts to arrange for new grant funding, the [Drake Landing Company] has been unable to secure additional dollars, making the path forward a clear choice – the Drake Landing Solar Community must be decommissioned," stated the board.
The decision-making process took into consideration numerous options, including maintaining the status quo, which would come at an estimated annual cost of $150,000 for operating and maintenance and a significant estimated increase to monthly access fees of up to $240 from the current $85. It also looked at recommissioning, or rebuilding and updating the Drake Landing Solar Community with modern technology, for an estimated capital cost of $4.1 million in addition to the aforementioned annual cost and monthly access fee increase.
In a statement provided to the Western Wheel in 2024, the Drake Landing Company cited "sourcing parts and technical experts on almost 20-year-old technology" as among the major challenges facing the solar community, likening these difficulties "to why trying to fit a 2024 engine part into a 2006 car isn't particularly feasible."
The decommissioning process is estimated to come to a capital cost of $2.2 million, and the Drake Landing Company acknowledged potential downsides of the decision, including higher emissions, the perception that the project was a failure and a devaluation of the community's homes.
The Drake Landing Solar Community project, which began in 2006 and officially launched in 2007, was deemed the first of its kind in North America and garnered much international attention, including winning the 2013 International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Award in Freiberg, Germany and the 2011 Golden Energy Globe World Award in Wels, Austria.
According to the Drake Landing Company, it was Canada’s largest subdivision of energy-efficient and environmentally-responsible homes, and the continent’s first major implementation of seasonal solar thermal energy storage.
The majority of the homes have since had their heating systems converted to natural gas furnaces.
"Although the time has come to wind the project down, our sincere thanks go to the homeowners and residents who have been a part of this success story – none of which would have been possible without your unwavering belief in a better energy alternative," stated the Drake Landing Company board of directors.
The Drake Landing Solar Community Energy Centre land, which is located at 15 Drake Landing Common and contains the solar community's underground borehole thermal energy storage system, is set to be redeveloped in January 2026 and beyond. The land is likely to be posted for sale, leaving space to allow for the continuation of a pathway system and the construction of new homes.
