Blogs

Rethinking New York’s path to decarbonization

By District Energy posted an hour ago
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Crains NY Summary Late last year, the implementation of New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act was halted, and it remains in litigation. This delay should not be treated as a setback, but as an opportunity to refocus New York’s decarbonization strategy on what will actually deliver emissions reductions at scale. Much of the Manhattan skyline is powered in part by a vast underground district steam system — one of the largest of its kind in the world. More than a century old, it serves roughly 1,500 buildings and provides about 27 billion pounds of steam each year for heating, cooling and sterilization. Most of that steam is produced by facilities ...
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Brooklyn project shows feasibility of using geothermal in dense urban areas

By District Energy posted 19 hours ago
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Facilities Dive Summary It took developer LCOR a stack of incentives to bring down the cost of a geothermal system it installed in a mixed-use project it completed in 2024. But now the company can expect energy and system maintenance costs to be far lower in the years ahead, say the energy specialists who worked with LCOR on the project. LCOR’s 1515 Surf Avenue on Coney Island in Brooklyn is the largest district geothermal project in New York City. According to Mehta, it shows how it’s possible to install a major geothermal system in a dense urban environment. The 400,000-square-foot project includes retail and other commercial space and ...
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Framatome and NuScale Power Contract to Support Global Supply Chain and Accelerate Fuel Delivery

By District Energy posted 20 hours ago
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NuScale Summary Framatome and NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE: SMR) have expanded their longstanding partnership to include Framatome’s European facilities for fuel fabrication in Europe, while also notifying the Richland facility to fabricate fuel for NuScale Power’s U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved SMR fuel technology in the next five years. As the first and only SMR to have its designs certified by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, NuScale is well-positioned to serve diverse customers across the world by supplying nuclear energy for electrical generation, data centers, district heating, desalination, commercial-scale hydrogen ...
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Faculty and students discuss environmental and historical perspectives tied to the UMaine Energy Center project

By District Energy posted 20 hours ago
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The Maine Campus Summary Ahead of a project authorization request expected at an upcoming University of Maine Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting in April, members of the campus community are weighing environmental goals against historic preservation concerns tied to tentative renovation plans for UMaine’s Central Steam Plant. The existing Central Steam Plant was built in 1906 and provides heating service to 90% of the Orono campus. According to the University of Maine Energy Center Project , it provides 4.7 miles of steam distribution and has about 119 steam pits. Currently there are two natural gas-fired boilers and a third oil-fired boiler is kept on ...
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University at Buffalo to reuse heat from supercomputing center

By District Energy posted 20 hours ago
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Edscoop Summary The University at Buffalo last week announced that its North Campus will reuse heat energy put off by a supercomputing center being developed with funding from the state government and philanthropists. According to press materials, the arrangement will “significantly” reduce carbon emissions. The supercomputing initiative, called Empire AI, is intended to promote general research and advance work that betters humanity. The energy project will include connecting the supercomputing center to a chilled water plant via 30-inch “neutral temperature” water pipes and a network of geothermal wells. According to the release, “this ...
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DOE Commits More Than $171M to Expand Geothermal Energy Sector

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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The Well Summary The Department of Energy is making $171.5 million in funding available to support both “field-scale” tests of projects related to electricity generation from geothermal resources and exploratory drilling aimed at confirming promising geothermal prospects. Letters of Intent regarding this funding opportunity must be submitted to the department by March 27, and full applications are due April 30. “Work under this opportunity will directly support our commitments to advance energy addition, reduce energy costs for American families and businesses, and unleash American energy dominance and innovation,” said Kyle Haustveit, assistant secretary ...
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1GW data center planned for North Lincolnshire, UK, given planning permission

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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Be Biz Summary A 1GW data center campus planned for a former RAF air base in North Lincolnshire, UK, has been granted planning permission. Elsham Tech Park was given the green light by North Lincolnshire Council’s planning committee at a meeting on Wednesday. The data center campus would be built on land south and east of Elsham Wolds Industrial Estate, adjacent to the A15 road outside Scunthorpe. Elsham Wolds is a former RAF base that has been converted into an industrial zone. ndeed, the developer claims the project will create 900-1,200 long-term jobs. The site will feature a connection enabling waste heat to be funneled to a district heating system, ...
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Europe’s heating and cooling dilemma: can district energy deliver?

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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Renewable Matter Summary Heating and cooling already account for half of Europe’s energy use, and most of that demand is still met by fossil fuels. At the same time, an amount of heat equivalent to 30% of total final energy consumption is simply wasted – a volume that “could largely cover all our needs for space heating and cooling if it were recovered and captured,” as Margot Pinault, policy officer at the EU’s DG ENER, reminded participants at the workshop Strategic Directions for the Heating & Cooling Transition . The workshop, hosted on 26 February in Brussels and organized by Euroheat & Power, the international network for district energy ...
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How heat networks work: Inside London’s Citigen energy network

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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e.on Summary One of the most established examples of this approach in the UK is E.ON’s City of London energy network, anchored on the Citigen energy centre which provides heating, cooling and electricity to buildings across the Square Mile. Beneath the streets of the City of London is a district energy system operating since the early 1990s. Citigen has been around much longer though, behind its Listed building facades, it started life as a coal-fired power station in 1893, becoming an oil then gas-fired power station, before embarking on its new renewable life today as a the heart of an energy network housing geothermal energy sources and heat pumps. ...
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Birkenhead heat network plans move ahead

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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Birkinhead News Summary Multi-million-pound plans to provide cheaper heating for thousands of homes and many businesses in Wirral are moving a significant step closer. Wirral Council is set to put forward a recommendation to the Economy, Regeneration and Housing Committee to award the tender for the Birkenhead Heat Network to a preferred supplier. This follows the completion of the procurement process to appoint a development and funding partner for the project. Wirral Council is aiming to decarbonise thousands of new homes along with new commercial developments that are part of its plans for Birkenhead. The area in Birkenhead which would ...
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AB Energy USA Opens New North American Headquarters

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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Business Wire Summary AB, a global leader in high-efficiency cogeneration, renewable natural gas (RNG), and energy solutions, with its operations rooted in Italy, today announced the opening of its new North American headquarters in The Woodlands, Texas. The expansion of AB Energy USA marks a significant investment in the U.S. market and reinforces the company's strategic base in the nation’s energy capital to support its continued growth across North America. The company, which has operated in the U.S. since 2014, has deployed natural gas and biogas cogeneration and RNG systems across a range of different industries, including industrial manufacturing, ...
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E2Tech Podcast Podcast: "Surveying the Current Energy Landscape" with Competitive Energy Services

By District Energy posted 21 hours ago
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Competitive Energy Services Summary Matt Gamache, COO of Competitive Energy Services , was recently featured on the E2Tech Podcast (Environmental & Energy Technology Council), hosted by Executive Director Orion Breen. In the episode, Surveying the Current Energy Landscape , Matt examines the U.S. energy market one year into the second Trump Administration, discussing increasing market complexity, rising affordability pressures, emerging reliability risks, and the rapid pace of change impacting both the energy industry and the broader public. You can watch and listen to the podcast at Surveying the Current Energy Landscape with Matt Gamache ...
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Brugg Pipes Supplies Specialised Tubes for Aerospace

By District Energy posted yesterday
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aerospace and defence Summary Brugg Pipes has delivered two vacuum-insulated cryogenic pipelines for a European aerospace company as part of a testing infrastructure for innovative propulsion systems. This project underscores Brugg Pipes' longstanding expertise in highly demanding industrial and cryogenic applications. Brugg Pipes is known in Europe not only for its district heating pipe systems but is also active in other technical application areas where reliable piping systems are essential under challenging conditions. A recent order from the European aerospace sector makes this evident: for the expansion of a testing infrastructure for novel ...
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Abandoned Pennsylvania mines and waste‑heat recycling could make the state’s massive new data centers far more sustainable

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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The Conversation Summary The electricity needed to power new Pennsylvania data centers already in advanced stages of planning could power 11 million homes – nearly twice the total number of households in the state. Companies that want to build data centers to expand their cloud and artificial intelligence computing are drawn to Pennsylvania due to its proximity to major East Coast cities, relatively affordable land and electricity, and legacy industrial infrastructure. For instance, there is a plan to turn an abandoned steel mill in Pittsburgh into a high-density data center that can leverage the existing infrastructure for electricity ...
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Future energy, circular solutions: How communities are redefining local energy resilience

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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ReNew Canada Summary Across Canada, communities are navigating a rapidly shifting energy landscape. Rising energy costs, extreme weather and aging infrastructure are putting new pressure on municipal budgets and essential services. What once were predictable operating environments have become increasingly uncertain, pushing municipalities to find solutions that provide stability, affordability and long-term resilience. While these challenges are significant, they are also sparking a wave of innovation at the local level. Municipalities are uniquely positioned to lead Canada’s energy transition because they understand their communities’ needs, assets ...
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Data Center Waste Heat Recovery

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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American Planning Association Summary The recent surge in artificial intelligence (AI) use has driven a similar increase in data center development. In most cases, data centers are resource drains that negatively impact neighboring communities. An average data center uses between four and five times the energy of a similar-sized office building, and its servers generate so much heat that they need year-round, constant cooling. This waste heat can become a valuable resource, however, when it is used instead of fossil fuels to heat nearby buildings. A growing number of projects in the U.S. and around the world are now using data centers as heat sources for ...
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The first energy community project in Moldova, launched in Cociulia with the support of Sweden

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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Cotidianul Summary The Republic of Moldova is taking a new step in the development of green energy. In the village of Cociulia, Cantemir district, the first renewable energy community pilot project in the country will be implemented, which provides for the installation of a photovoltaic power plant aimed at reducing the energy costs of the local community. The initiative was discussed during a meeting between Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu and Swedish Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova Petra Larke. The discussions analyzed joint projects in the energy field and the possibilities of expanding bilateral cooperation, IPN reports. Minister Dorin ...
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Connecticut lawmakers look at ways to boost electricity supply

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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NBC CT Summary Connecticut lawmakers on the Energy and Technology Committee are trying to lay the groundwork to increase energy supply in the future. That includes proposals to ramp up the state’s advanced nuclear workforce and continue some clean energy programs. DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes noted that proposals could include plans to expand to produce more energy. She also said she’s been educating local leaders who may be considering facilities in their towns. “If we’re talking nuclear anywhere besides Waterford, that has to come from the community level and be community opt-in,” Dyke said. Other bills included possible incentives ...
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What Makes Deep Geothermal District Heating Different?

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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AAC&U Summary In Utah and Nevada, two-mile-deep enhanced geothermal systems have produced electricity. In the eastern U.S., the rocks are about three times less hot at similar depth, which is not economically practical for power generation, but is ideal for heating buildings directly. Cornell University recently drilled a two-mile-deep borehole to assess the feasibility of EGS for direct heat production, but many challenges to deploying this type of system still exist. The economic potential for direct heat-generating enhanced geothermal systems is on the order of 320 gigawatt-thermal units in the United States, enough to heat about 45 million households. ...
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EU presses forward on modular nuclear reactors to fast-track energy transition

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
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The Brussels Times Summary The European Commission has set out a plan to speed up the development and roll-out of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs) in Europe. SMRs are smaller nuclear reactors designed to be built in modules, with reactors or components manufactured in factories and transported to sites for deployment or final assembly, the Commission said in a statement on Tuesday. It added the technology could be used alongside renewable energy and provide low-carbon electricity as well as heat for uses such as district heating and industrial processes. Continue Reading #News #Nuclear #DistrictHeat ...
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