New projects in North Carolina and Ontario take an old idea of district heating to new levels using solar.
"Last month, North Carolina's Vanir Energy and EnerWorks, of London, Ontario, completed what the two renewable companies describe as the world's largest solar thermal installation – 640 collectors on the 1-million square-foot Fletcher Business Park in North Carolina.
The project provides more proof of the growing acceptance of solar thermal as an economical means of reducing emissions in large structures.
But EnerWorks officials have their eyes on another solar thermal venture, this one in tiny Okotoks, Alberta. For the past year, the Drake Landing subdivision in the prairie town has been a testing ground for an innovative variation on traditional district heating - one that sources and stores heat with solar panels and geothermal tubing.
'The idea was to prove, based on previous projects in Europe and using North American technology, that it is possible to build district heating systems for communities,' says Florin Plavosin, director of application engineering at EnerWorks."
FULL STORY: Experiments in District Heating
BLM Proposes Opening 31 Million Acres of Public Lands to Solar Development
The Biden administration has released a proposal that would open tens of millions of acres in 11 Western states to solar development, a move that has clean energy advocates celebrating and environmental groups concerned.
Solar Panels Coming to a Self-Storage Facility Rooftop Near You
The sixth-largest self-storage company in the United States will add solar panels to 8.5 million square feet of its facilities’ rooftops to produce community solar power.
Coming Soon to Ohio: The Largest Agrivoltaic Farm in the US
The ambitious 6,000-acre project will combine an 800-megawatt solar farm with crop and livestock production.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
Berlin to Consider Car-Free Zone Larger Than Manhattan
The area bound by the 22-mile Ringbahn would still allow 12 uses of a private automobile per year per person, and several other exemptions.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)