University of Toronto Laneway Housing Project VIDEO (Oct 2020)

This project is the winner of a 2021 Canadian Green Building Award given by SABMag. Guelph Solar putting the sun to work at an innovative laneway housing project at the University of Toronto. The idea of the solar design for this project is to get it net positive - producing more than what the building needs. The building relies on three sources of free energy. Active PV solar on the roof. Passive solar with the sun coming through the windows. And geothermal in the form of an earth tube. Solar system design and installation by Guelph Solar. Engineering and energy modelling by Rob Blakeney of Local Impact Design.

Transcript: Guelph Solar is proud to be a part of the University of Toronto's innovative laneway housing project, which has been honored with the prestigious 2021 Canadian Green Building Award.

Hi, it’s Anton with Guelph Solar. We’re here in downtown Toronto, right outside the University of Toronto campus, near Varsity Stadium. We’re at a unique laneway housing project where the University of Toronto converted one of Toronto's laneways into student housing, primarily focused on professors and international students.

Rob Blakeney from Local Impact Design managed all the engineering and energy modeling for the project, which was designed to achieve net-positive energy status. Guelph Solar was brought in to handle the solar design for this groundbreaking initiative. The goal was to create a net-zero energy building, meaning it generates as much energy as it uses, and in this case, slightly more.

The buildings are entirely electric, relying on three primary sources of free energy. First, there’s active solar energy from the photovoltaic panels on the roof. Second, passive solar energy comes through the windows, warming the building in the winter. Third, geothermal energy is harnessed through an earth tube system.

We were involved early on in the project to help model and design the system, and we recommended high-efficiency solar panels, specifically the LG 365s, which offer an additional 10% capacity for energy generation.

Despite the tight constraints of the small roof, we used an innovative east-west racking system to maximize the solar energy capture. We’re also installing panels on the facade of the building to harness even more energy. It’s around 11 a.m. now, and you can already see the sun hitting the wall. The technology we use allows each individual panel to produce as much power as possible, depending on the sunlight it receives.

We’re excited to see how this project performs, and everything will be monitored 24/7 to ensure it delivers on its promise. Guelph Solar is thrilled to help put the sun to work for the University of Toronto.