Join us for an engaging webinar that details our journey to decarbonize the historic 150-year-old CenTrio Seattle steam plant. Discover how we’re aligning with the Washington Climate Commitment Act (CCA) and exploring groundbreaking innovations like MW-scale steam heat pumps, high-temperature thermal storage, collaborative approaches to electrification in a grid-constrained urban core, and an ultra-resilient technology stacking approach. We’ll also delve into the complexities of legislative challenges and share our plans to transform climate preparedness for our 165+ customers and stakeholders, paving the way for a collective compliance and a carbon-neutral future.
Presenters
Ian Goepferd
VP & General Manager, CenTrio
As VP and General Manager of CenTrio’s Seattle operations, Ian oversees a district heating system with 635 kpph steam capacity and over 18 miles of piping. He manages all aspects of the business, including P&L, operations, distribution, engineering, and project development. Ian is focused on decarbonizing Seattle’s district energy system, using his expertise to reduce emissions and advance CenTrio’s sustainability goals.
Ian brings extensive leadership experience, rooted in strong technical expertise. After studying mechanical engineering, he served as a Naval Officer, where he held various shipboard roles and later taught Naval Engineering and Navigation at the University of Washington.
With over 20 years in the electric power generation industry, Ian held increasing leadership roles at NAES Corporation, culminating as General Manager of Operations & Maintenance Services. He then served as Director of Gas Plant Operations for Onward Energy, where he managed 3GW of generating assets and a team over 100.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a master’s from the University of Washington, both in mechanical engineering.
Darrel Tremaine
Director of Climate Energy & Government, CenTrio
Darrel comes to district energy by way of a long and winding route through multiple disciplines. He started in the automotive industry as a mechanical engineer and picked up new interests along the way that included organic farming, managing carbon and energy in higher education, crawling through caves and coring trees to understand how past climate change can inform the future and design of sustainable infrastructure, educating the next generation of environmental scientists, and training AI to give better generative results in energy and earth science.
He holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and M.S. & Ph.D. degrees in Chemical Oceanography from Florida State University. Darrel loves to use technology to solve societal, environmental, and economic issues, and thrives in environments where all three can be addressed simultaneously. He is focused on decarbonizing CenTrio’s district energy portfolio; a challenging endeavor that he hopes can pave the way for higher education and industry to serve a leading role in climate stewardship, community enhancement, technology advancement, and green workforce development.
Meghan Riesterer
Chief Sustainability Officer, CenTrio
As Chief Sustainability Officer, Meghan Riesterer leads CenTrio’s ambitious sustainability initiatives across all systems and facilities across the United States. Meghan is known not only for her visionary thinking around sustainable district energy and decarbonization but also for her active approach, technical energy engineering expertise, innovative financial and business structures, and sustainable infrastructure solutions. Ms. Riesterer joined CenTrio in 2022 from Oberlin College where she served as Assistant Vice President of Campus Energy & Sustainability and as a lecturer in environmental studies. Under her leadership, the College launched a $140 million, four-year, campus-wide conversion to geothermal heating and cooling, modernizing its district energy services and positioning it as a national leader in clean energy.
Before that, she was the Director of Sustainability for the Medical Center Company, a non-profit district energy system serving thermal energy and power to the University Circle neighborhood of Cleveland, Ohio. Ms. Riesterer, a Certified Energy Manager and LEED Accredited Professional, is a former member of the Board of Directors of the International District Energy Association (IDEA). She earned a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
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