Blogs

Blatchford gets ready to more than double homes

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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Edmonton Journal Summary Blatchford is about to undergo a growth spurt. Seven apartment buildings, ranging between four storeys and six storeys, are either in their current stages of development or in the planning stages. Construction has already began on two of them. These seven low- to mid-rise buildings will add some 700 units to Blatchford, more than doubling the 500 residential units that already exist or are currently under construction. But growth in this sustainable neighbourhood, which either has homes connected to its District Energy System — delivering heating and cooling sourced from a geo-exchange system — or built ...
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Canada’s district energy revolution

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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Corporate Knights Summary Markham, Ontario, in the 1990s was a city in need of a pivot: away from an era of increasing sprawl and toward denser neighbourhoods with better urban planning. The long-term pressures of climate change and the energy transition were already visible, and in 1999 Markham’s city councillors took the step of investing in a district energy system to heat and cool its downtown core. Instead of relying on individual boilers and cooling equipment in every building, the city backed a shared energy network designed to scale alongside new development. Now, roughly 25 years later, insulated pipes buried beneath parts of Markham carry ...
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Cogeneration’s Advantage: Efficiency, Resilience, and the Case for Captured Heat

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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Power Magazine Summary When Hurricane Sandy in 2012 knocked out power in Lower Manhattan for nearly a week, New York University’s (NYU’s) Washington Square campus stayed operational because it was not relying on the grid. A 13.4-MW cogeneration plant, commissioned in 2011, was producing the campus’ electricity and steam from a single natural gas feed when ConEd’s 14th Street substation flooded and went down. The plant was already paying for itself before the storm arrived. NYU has reported energy savings of roughly $5 million a year from the system. Scenes like this are becoming more common, and the technology behind them is not new. Combined heat and ...
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The Shift Toward Centralised Cooling Systems in the Middle East

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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BRG Summary In the commercial sector — offices, hotels, malls, hospitals, and airports — centralised systems (chillers, air handling units (AHUs), and packaged rooftop units) have been the default specification for large buildings for well over a decade. That is not the shift; that is an established baseline. The more meaningful current story is at the district scale. Dubai is the clearest benchmark: Empower, the region’s largest district cooling provider, operates multiple plants and networked production facilities with a connected capacity exceeding approximately 1.6 million refrigeration tonnes (RT), serving a significant share of the emirate’s district-cooled ...
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‘Kind of miracle solution’: How Paris is harnessing the Seine to replace air-con

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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The Guardian Summary As heatwaves intensify across Europe, most cities are reaching for a familiar fix of more air conditioning. But in 1990s Paris, planning began for a different kind of solution: one of the world’s largest district cooling networks. The system has 120kms (75-miles) of underground pipes distributing chilled water to museums, offices, hospitals, schools and other public buildings including the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and some luxury hotels and office districts. Instead of thousands of individual air-conditioning units, cooling is produced centrally and shared across the city like a utility. Continue Reading #MemberNewsIDEA ...
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Extreme Heat is a ‘Hidden Epidemic’. District Energy Can Help.

By District Energy posted 4 days ago
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The Energy Mix Summary Rob Thornton is President and CEO of the International District Energy Association (IDEA). In this feature interview with The Energy Mix publisher Mitchell Beer, he talked about where district heating and cooling can make a difference around the world as an antidote to a deadly “hidden epidemic” that kills 1,700 people per day, more than gun violence. The Energy Mix: How have you seen district energy evolve over the last couple or few years, and do you think the pace of activity is meeting the full potential? Rob Thornton: The district energy industry is really surging right now, both public and private investment ...
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Built to Last: Bruce Ander Named IDEA’s 2026 Norm Taylor Person of the Year

By District Energy posted 11 days ago
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At IDEA2026, district energy professionals from around the globe share ideas and insights, as well as recognize the accomplishments of their peers. The Norman R. Taylor Award is named for a former president and executive director who made major contributions to the organization and was known for treating people with dignity and humility. It honors IDEA’s “Person of the Year”: an individual whose career has had an undeniable impact on the industry. The 2026 honoree is Bruce Ander, Former President and CEO of Markham District Energy and founder of Ander Advisory. When Bruce Ander describes his 40-year career, he talks about bookends. The first: ...
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Energy agreement puts U-M on track to zero emissions tied to purchased electricity in 2027

By District Energy posted 17 days ago
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University of Michigan Summary A new renewable energy agreement with DTE Energy marks a major milestone in the University of Michigan’s campus energy transition, putting the university on track to eliminate emissions tied to purchased electricity in 2027. U-M’s participation in DTE’s MIGreenPower program is supporting the development of a new utility-scale solar facility in southeast Michigan dedicated to meeting the university’s electricity needs. The project advances U-M’s broader efforts to reduce emissions across campus operations while expanding the use of renewable energy. “This agreement reflects years of planning and ...
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Google in Bissen: Lex Delles backs the project

By District Energy posted 17 days ago
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delano Summary Google’s proposed data centre in Bissen sparked a lively exchange between MP Joëlle Welfring and the minister for the economy, Lex Delles, during the plenary session on 18 June. It is on the issue of waste heat that the positions appear to be closest. The MP points out that the heat produced by the centre could provide heating for up to 10,000 households. However, she is seeking further details on the practical arrangements for recovering the heat, the necessary infrastructure and the safeguards required to turn this potential into reality. Lex Delles has made this issue a central focus of his strategy. He believes that the heat generated ...
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R.I. poised to join states testing thermal heating and cooling networks

By District Energy posted 17 days ago
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Pluribus News Summary Rhode Island is poised to join a growing number of states aiming to cut costs for consumers and reinforce the grid by requiring utility companies to study the use of thermal energy networks to heat and cool homes and buildings. Companion bills were overwhelmingly approved by the Senate on Thursday and the House on Tuesday, and now head to Democratic Gov. Dan McKee. Continue Reading #News #GeothermalandGeo-Exchange #TENS
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Empower holds building management companies' meeting in Dubai to showcase its Advanced District Cooling Systems.

By District Energy posted 17 days ago
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albawaba Summary Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation PJSC (Empower), convened an extensive meeting with building management companies in Dubai as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to strengthen collaboration with its strategic partners and support efficient building management across the emirate. The meeting introduced participants to the mechanisms for using Empower’s systems within buildings, as well as best practices for their operation and management. During the meeting, Empower provided an overview of the technical and operational aspects of district cooling systems, including the management of cooling plants and distribution ...
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Canaan to provide crypto waste heat to Nordic district heating network

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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DCD Summary Crypto mining firm Canaan Inc. has announced that it has been selected to supply Bitcoin mining equipment for a district heating network in the Nordic region. The Singapore-based crypto mining hardware company said an unnamed Nordic heating provider will use its Avalon A1566HA hydro-cooled mining units to feed hot water into an existing district heating system. Canaan said the equipment can produce hot water at around 80°C (176°F), allowing the heat generated by the mining machines to be used directly in district heating infrastructure. The company said the full 8MW project is expected to provide heating for around 2,800 homes. Continue ...
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Bilfinger awarded E.ON contract to build 2,400 MWh district heating accumulator in Malmö, Sweden

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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Energies Media Summary A 70-meter tower holding enough heated water to warm 30,000 homes through a cold winter day is coming to Malmö. Bilfinger has been awarded a contract by E.ON to engineer, prefabricate, install, and commission a 2,400 MWh district heating accumulator — the largest single investment in the city’s district heating infrastructure in years. The facility is projected to cut CO2 emissions from district heating production by up to 50 percent. Engineering is set to begin in late May 2026, with commissioning targeted for winter 2028/2029. Continue Reading #News #DistrictHeating
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Green skills shortage complicates Europe’s transition to sustainable heating

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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Clean Energy Wire Summary A green skills shortage in Europe’s construction sector complicates the planned transition to sustainable heating, and risks jeopardising decarbonisation and climate targets, according to a report commissioned by the business and philanthropy organisation Laudes Foundation, which was seen by Tagesspiegel Background . The analysis of working conditions in the construction sector in ten European countries found that a serious skilled labour shortage is looming. “The construction industry needs four million workers by 2035 for Europe to achieve its green transition targets,” said Paola Cammilli, head of global campaigns at the ...
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Ireland’s Heat Bill can increase warmth towards district heating projects

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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Pinsent Masons Summary Heat networks represent a significant opportunity within Ireland’s energy transition – but that will only be possible if there is a truly bankable commercial model established to enable delivery at scale. The journey to that model is already underway with the Heat Bill expected to be published at the end of 2026, when it will begin its journey through the Oireachtas into law. It comes in the wake of 2024’s general scheme, which outlined the need for introducing district heating networks and set the groundwork for how this introduction would be managed. Continue Reading #News #DistrictHeating
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ABB and Ørsted use AI fault prediction to boost reliability at critical Danish power station

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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ABB Summary Ørsted A/S, Denmark’s largest utility and one of the world’s leading players in renewable energy, is piloting an AI‑based fault prediction solution from ABB. The solution will be installed at Avedøre Power Station to strengthen reliability and support a more resilient power system as electricity demand continues to rise. Avedøre Power Station plays a key role in Denmark’s energy infrastructure, supplying electricity and district heating to the Greater Copenhagen area while supporting wider grid stability. The plant has transitioned from coal to primarily sustainably sourced biomass, with carbon capture development underway. Today, it supplies ...
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Using heat recovery to bring eco-benefits to data centres

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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PWE Magazine Summary Heat recovery from data centres is currently seeing a major growth phase in the UK. The process enables the capture of waste thermal energy from data centres, repurposing it for district heating and hot water networks. Heat network expert, Power On, is informing the data centre industry of the advantages of these systems in reducing carbon emissions to help meet sustainability goals and fast-track planning applications. Power On’s solution to the data centre heat release issue is to utilise the waste heat for district heating to warm the residential and commercial properties nearby. In just the same way that heat is harnessed from ...
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District heating could help decarbonise nearly half of all homes in Germany

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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Clean Energy Wire Summary Almost one in two homes in Germany could be heated with district heating by 2045, according to an analysis of the country’s 401 administrative districts and cities by consultancy Prognos. “In nearly half of all districts, the conditions for expanding the district heating network and achieving decarbonisation are good or very good,” the consultancy said. All cities in municipalities in Germany are required to present heating plans to determine which technologies are most suitable for which locations. Large cities must provide these plans by the end of June, while small towns have a later deadline until 2028. Continue ...
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CeraPhi Energy Announces Progression of Kirby Misperton Geothermal Heat Network Project

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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CeraPhi Summary CeraPhi Energy is pleased to announce the continued development of the Kirby Misperton Heat Network project, an innovative low-carbon heating initiative that will repurpose wells on its KMA wellsite to supply sustainable geothermal heat to the village through a new ambient heat network. The project has received support through the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority Carbon Negative Challenge Fund, which supports innovative low-carbon initiatives across the region. The first phase of the heat network is expected to serve a combination of residential and commercial buildings within the village of Kirby Misperton and Flamingo Land, ...
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KIP secures $580m financial close for University of Kentucky campus utility plant

By District Energy posted 18 days ago
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yahoo! finance Summary Kentucky Infrastructure Partners (KIP) has completed the financial close for the University of Kentucky (UK) Central Utility Plant (CUP) project, clearing the way for full-scale construction of a new facility and upgrades to the university's energy infrastructure. The project will design, finance, build, operate and maintain a central utility plant to expand and strengthen the University of Kentucky's heating, cooling and back-up power systems. It will also include significant upgrades to the campus-wide district energy distribution network, as well as the modernization of existing utility systems. Continue Reading #MemberNewsIDEA ...
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