Operating fixes that lifted the solar share
Drake Landing's solar share rose from 55 per cent in year one to 80 per cent in year three, helped by operating adjustments and a warmer winter, and it got there a year earlier than planned.
Event date: 2010-06-02
Three winters, three numbers
The first year closed at 55 per cent solar and the second at 61, which was behind the planned curve. By 2010 the community had reached 80 per cent, with the 90 per cent goal expected the following year instead of the end of the five-year window. The Town of Okotoks said the system was working more efficiently and collecting better than anticipated.
What was changed
Two fixes stand out. Operators found that too much energy was being sent out to the homes and trimmed the amount. They also drained and replumbed the short-term storage tanks in the Energy Centre, which improved how the system behaved.
A warmer winter helped too, so not every point of the gain can be credited to engineering. Still, the people running the system pointed to close, constant monitoring as the thing that made adjustments possible.
Why patience was part of the design
In a borehole system the ground warms a little more each year as summer heat accumulates. On cloudy days and in winter the flow reverses, and stored hot water heats the houses. That slow build-up meant early shortfalls were partly expected, and it is explained in the borehole storage article.
Watching it live
The Town also opened a public web page showing the solar energy available, the radiation collected and the current temperatures in the storage tanks. The dashboard page picks up that idea.
What the fixes taught
The recovery showed that a new seasonal storage system needs a tuning period and honest measurement. Monitoring later recorded a 97 per cent solar share by 2012 and 100 per cent in the 2015-16 heating season. From about 2020 the system suffered deterioration and maintenance problems, decommissioning began in 2024, and most homes moved to natural-gas furnaces. For the current state of the field and Energy Centre, check with the Town of Okotoks or ATCO.
Quick answers
How did Drake Landing perform in its first two years?
It supplied 55 per cent of heating in year one and 61 per cent in year two, both behind plan.
What changes improved the solar share?
Operators reduced the energy sent to homes, drained and replumbed the short-term storage tanks, and benefited from a warmer winter.