[getsmart-l] Not quite "district energy" - " solar power is used to the heat the water and the homes in the subdivision"

[John O'Gorman]

http://www.westernwheel.com/070207/news-okotoks%20sets%20pace.htm
February 7 , 2007 Vol. 32 No. 27 
Environment - 
Okotoks sets pace for renewable energy
Drake Landing latest commitment to clean energy sources
By John Barlow
Editor

A commitment to renewable energy by the federal government is good news for Okotoks, said the town’s municipal manager.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced $1.5 billion in funding for the EcoEnergy Renewable Initiative last week which will focus on developing renewable energy supplies in Canada.
Okotoks municipal manager Rick Quail said the funding for renewable energy research will also help Okotoks continue its own commitment to using renewable energy resources.
“If the federal government improves the efficiencies and facilitates the delivery of those renewable energy sources it will help increase the viability of renewable energy,” said Quail.
The Town of Okotoks has made a substantial commitment to using renewable energy. Of the energy used by the municipality itself 60 per cent is certified as coming from a renewable energy source. That has been a significant increase from 2001 when the town used two per cent renewable energy.
“The bottom line is if the feds do more research the incentive will be there to make renewable energy more readily available,” added Quail.
Quail said developing renewable energy sources is a classic case of “build it and they will come.”
“Consumers have shown they will pay a premium for eco-efficient, renewable energy,” he said.
Quail has seen that consumer commitment firsthand with the development of the Drake Landing subdivision in Okotoks.
The 52-home development is the first of its kind in North America where solar power is used to the heat the water and the homes in the subdivision.
Approximately 800 solar panels are being used in the development — the largest of any single project in Canada. 
Currently, 32 of the 52 homes are occupied and the remaining 20 homes should be completed this summer. All the homes have been sold.
Quail said the EcoEnergy Renewable Initiative is just the latest project for the federal government in terms of funding renewable energy programs.
He said if it had not been for Natural Resources Canada Drake Landing would not have happened.
“The technology demonstration and innovation of solar power distribution heating system never would have occurred,” said Quail. 
“To their credit, the government of Canada and the provincial government provided the seed money to fund the capital cost of Drake Landing.”
The technology that was developed for Drake Landing is not only having an impact on homebuilding in Canada, but around the world. 
Experts from Canada, Germany and Holland worked together via daily teleconferences to develop the solar technology used in Drake Landing.
The trend has caught on. The City of Calgary is planning to develop its own wind farm as a renewable energy source for municipal use.

http://crcresearch.royalroads.ca/archived_topic/39?page=2 

Microgeneration in the planning system

This study is unaware of any clear examples of provinces or municipalities actively streamlining efforts to get micro-renewables through the planning system more quickly.  However, there are many Canadian municipalities that have installed small scale renewable systems in their communities, often as part of initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of civic buildings. Federal ‘Green Municipal Funds’, administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, have been an important source of support for many of these communities. One example is the Drake Landing subdivision in the City of Okotoks, Alberta. A solar seasonal storage system will provide 90% of the heating needs for the 74 homes involved.
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