IDEA2025 Plenary Panels

Opening Plenary Panel: Aggregate, Integrate, Innovate
Tuesday, June 3, 2025; 9:15-10:15am


“Aggregate, Integrate, Innovate” is the theme of IDEA2025. 
 
District energy systems create economies of scale by aggregating the energy needs of dozens or hundreds of buildings.  Aggregation enables investment and integration of highly-efficient, industrial-grade, low-carbon energy sources that are continuously enhanced by innovations to deliver highly-valuable, reliable and resilient energy services for a city, community or campus.  
 
Our panel of industry leaders brings decades of collective experience and insights to share their views on the energy transition, the pace of change, emerging technologies, market signals and the incredible wave of opportunities for the district energy industry as an evolution in technologies and strategies accelerates real time.   
 
Demand for district energy is surging.  Hear from industry leaders how their organizations are adapting, investing and driving dramatic growth in North America and beyond.  

Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower

Ahmad Bin Shafar has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Empower since its inception. Ahmad brings over 28 years of experience in senior management positions including eight years with Standard Chartered Bank in Corporate and Retail Banking, Finance, Marketing and Customer Relations. As Chief Executive Officer, Ahmad provides strategic direction and, under his leadership, Empower has become the World’s Largest District Cooling Services provider, from a capacity perspective, within a short span of a decade.
Ahmad also serves as the Chairman of the board of directors of ELIPS since 2007, a subsidiary of Empower and a world leader in pre-insulated pipe systems.

Ahmad is a Special Advisor on district cooling to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) for it’s global ‘District Energy in Cities initiative’,

Ahmad has been serving as a member of the board of the International District Energy Association, since 2013, as Executive Chairman of Bin Shafar Holding, since 2012, as Chairman of the Association of District Cooling Operators, headquartered in Dubai since 2020, and as a member of the board of the Dubai Sports Council, from 2009 to 2022. Ahmad holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Management from California State University, Los Angeles, USA.


Earl Collins, CEO, Cordia

Earl Collins, is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cordia, a position he has held since July 2022. Operating from the company's headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, Earl oversees Cordia's strategic direction, a move spurred by the company's rebranding following a landmark $1.9 billion acquisition by KKR in October 2022.

With a rich background spanning engineering, construction, operations, and maintenance within the power, industrial, and renewable energy sectors, Earl brings a depth of experience and strategic leadership to his role. His commitment to excellence and innovative thinking have been consistent hallmarks of his career.

Before assuming his current role at Cordia, Earl played a pivotal role in driving growth within a key operating division of a Fortune 500 infrastructure engineering and construction firm. Under his stewardship, the division experienced exponential revenue growth, soaring from $200 million to an impressive $2.5 billion through a blend of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.

Earl holds a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering from Iowa State University, graduating in 1991. Additionally, he boasts a distinguished military background, having earned an Officer commission through the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps.

Throughout his illustrious career, Earl has held several notable positions, including President of the Clean Energy and Infrastructure Group at MasTec, President of the Oil and Gas Segment at Willbros Group, Inc., and President and Global Director for EPC & Construction Management, Energy & Chemicals at CH2M HILL.

Notably, Earl's tenure at MasTec saw him overseeing a diverse portfolio of companies within the Clean Energy and Infrastructure Group, driving significant growth and operational excellence. His achievements include assuming P&L responsibility for five companies within the Power & Industrial Group during his time as President, further highlighting his knack for strategic leadership.

From his earliest roles as an Area Manager to his current position at the helm of Cordia, Earl Collins's career trajectory exemplifies a commitment to excellence, innovation, and strategic foresight.




Carlyle Coutinho, CEO, Enwave Energy Corporation

Carlyle Coutinho is the CEO of Enwave Energy Corporation. Carlyle began his career with Enwave in 2013 as Chief Financial Officer and has held a number of  executive roles across the North American platform. 


Prior to joining Enwave in 2013, Carlyle held progressively senior investment and operational positions in the private equity and debt investment industry in Canada and the United States. Carlyle began his career in public accounting with KPMG and Deloitte.  

Carlyle earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder and a Chartered Professional Accountant.





Frank Cuomo, Director, Commodity Operations, Con Edison

Frank A. Cuomo is the Director of Commodity Operations at Con Edison, where he oversees a substantial annual portfolio of approximately $2 billion. He began his engineering career in the consulting industry before joining Con Edison in 2011. Over the years, he has held various positions within Con Edison Steam Operations, including project manager and general manager. Frank is a NYS Licensed Professional Engineer, a graduate of Manhattan College School of Engineering, and holds an MBA from the Baruch Zicklin School of Business. He has also served as an adjunct professor at NYU.

Frank's expertise lies in customer energy use and system design. He has collaborated with numerous customers, stakeholders, and industry partners to explore paths towards a Clean Energy Future. Notably, he led the Future of Renewable Steam Team (FIRST), a company initiative focused on decarbonization efforts.

As a subject matter expert in Steam Operations and customer building systems, Frank is known for his ability to cultivate positive relationships with stakeholders and communicate complex business topics effectively. He has also served as Incident Commander during large-scale emergency events.

In his current role, Frank ensures the seamless procurement and scheduling of energy commodities, maintaining 24/7 operations to meet customer energy demands. His strategies in gas planning and regulatory proceedings reflect his competencies in networking, customer energy systems, and overall energy distribution, essential for steering the company towards a sustainable future.


Luke Gaalswyk, CEO, Ever-Green Energy

Luke Gaalswyk is president and CEO of Ever-Green Energy and its parent company District Energy St. Paul, a 501(c)(3) non-profit district energy company headquartered in Saint Paul, MN. Luke joined Ever-Green in 2022 as president of the organization overseeing the company’s corporate services.

Prior to joining Ever-Green, Luke served in leadership roles in power generation and district energy industries with Xcel Energy and NRG Thermal (now Cordia). Luke has nearly 20 years of experience in energy, operations, and engineering and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and Saint Paul Downtown Alliance and is a drill-status member of the Minnesota Air National Guard. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the United States Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton.


Kevin Hagerty, President and CEO, Vicinity Energy

Prior to becoming CEO, Kevin served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Vicinity, ensuring the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the company’s district energy systems. Before that, he was Vicinity’s Chief Technical Officer (CTO), overseeing Information Technology (IT), Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S), and Technical teams, driving innovation and operational excellence.
 
With over 20 years of experience in the power industry, Kevin held senior leadership roles at Veolia for nearly a decade. His most recent position at Veolia was as Senior Vice President of Operations for Veolia North America’s (VNA) East business, where he oversaw more than 50 facilities, including the company’s largest district energy systems in Boston and Philadelphia.
 
As CEO, Kevin is leading Vicinity’s transition to electrification and the expansion of eSteam™, solidifying the company’s role as the leader in decarbonizing North American cities with district energy systems.
 
Kevin holds a bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering from the United States Merchant Marine Academy, with a focus on Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering, and an MBA from Boston University.




Diego Mandelbaum, Chief Development Officer, Corix

As Chief Development Officer, Diego leads the company’s efforts to drive organic growth and develop new district energy systems across North America.
 
Prior to joining Corix, Diego held various leadership roles in the energy, engineering and construction industries, overseeing strategic direction, partnerships, and development. He brings over 15 years of experience in the energy sector, with deep expertise in district energy, electrification, and alternative investments.
 
An active contributor to both industry and community, Diego serves on the Board of the UBC Alumni Association and previously served on the Board of the BC Construction Roundtable. In 2021, he was recognized as one of Canadian Construction’s 40 Under 40.
 
Diego holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia, a Certificate in Alternative Investments from Harvard Business School, and is a registered Professional Engineer.




Meghan Riesterer, Chief Sustainability Officer, CenTrio

As Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP of ESG and Decarbonization, Meghan Riesterer leads CenTrio’s ambitious sustainability initiatives and goals across all systems and facilities. 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. 

Prior to joining CenTrio in early 2022, she served as assistant vice president of Campus Energy & Sustainability and as a lecturer in environmental studies at Oberlin College. Under her leadership, the college launched a four-year, $140 million 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. She is also a certified energy manager and LEED-accredited professional and a former member of the Board of Directors of IDEA. 

Meghan holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, philosophy, and political science from Baldwin Wallace University and earned a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.





Plenary Panel #2: District Energy Technologies to Accelerate the Energy Transition
Wednesday, June 4; 8:00-8:55am

The elegance and durability of the district energy industry is based on flexibility and the ability to adapt to new technologies over the long term.

 

Anchored by a robust thermal network serving hundreds (or thousands) of customers, district energy systems are able to integrate a range of thermal resources at scale over time, enabling them to evolve and keep pace with emerging environmental and economic policy priorities while supporting economic growth. 

 

Modernizing and optimizing the central plant provides tremendous downstream benefits to connected customers, often at substantially reduced risk.  Very often, the scale of a district energy system is critical to the deployment of certain low-carbon industrial technologies.  Best practices often favor local solutions which in turn generate tremendous value in the regional economy.   

 

Moreover, the inherent size advantage enables investments that accelerate decarbonization on a community or city-scale, much faster than trying to update one building at a time. 

 

Our plenary panel includes world-class professionals with real world experience and insight on a range of technologies:  industrial heat pumps; enhanced geothermal ( community scale);  small modular reactors (SMR’s); combined heat & power (CHP) with multiple fuels including hydrogen; electrification; thermal and water recovery; and even fusion.  Some technologies are readily at hand.  Others are still emerging.

 

It’s apparent that our planet will demand smarter, more informed choices for our energy future.  This panel is uniquely qualified to share their views on the energy transition and the options before us.

Rajesh Dixit, Senior Director, Global Product Management, Johnson Controls, inc.

Rajesh Dixit is a Chemical Engineer with an MBA and Senior-Director, Global Product Management (HVACR) with Johnson Controls. Rajesh is responsible for the strategy, growth and product life cycle management of Industrial Chillers and Heat Pumps, with iconic brands such as York, Frick and Sabroe. Rajesh's products have variety of natural and ultra-low GWP refrigerants, and different type of compressor and non-compressor (thermal) technologies. Rajesh is a frequent speaker at the IDEA events and ex-chair of ASHRAE TC 8.3. Rajesh is ex-board member of a historic theater and actively engaged as a volunteer with his local community. 

Neil Ethier, Vice President Origination, Eavor Technologies Inc.

Neil Ethier is Vice President Origination for Eavor Technologies Inc. based out of the Calgary office. His responsibility is to oversee a talented group of business development professionals globally. 

Neil has been at Eavor since 2020, where he has held various roles in both Corporate and Business Development. Prior to Eavor, Neil spent 20 years as a geophysicist in the oil and gas sector. He has global expertise in strategic business development, with a technical focus. He brings an enhanced intercultural perspective, honed from living on three continents and analyzing and evaluating assets in over 50 countries and 100 basins.

Neil holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours Geophysics) degree from the University of Alberta.

Kevin Fox, Engineering Manager, Burns & McDonnell

Kevin is a Program Director and National Engineering Manager with Burns & McDonnell’s OnSite Energy & Power business lane. His responsibilities include technical program and project leadership for clients, customer relationship development, and supporting business operations and strategy advancement across the national practice.
 
Kevin has spent the past 20-plus years dedicated to the district energy business, developing chilled water, steam and hot water heating, combined heat and power, microgrid, and decarbonization projects for clients across North America. He is an experienced presenter and client liaison with a hands-on entrepreneurial approach, responsible for delivering solutions, business unit performance, and developing leaders.

Kimberly Greene, North American Sales Director, 2G Energy North America

Kimberly Greene is an accomplished professional in the energy and sustainability sector, currently serving as the U.S. Sales Team Leader at 2G Energy, Inc., a global leader in combined heat and power (CHP) systems. With over 24 years of experience, Kimberly is passionate about driving renewable energy solutions and specializes in helping businesses transition to cleaner, more efficient energy systems through innovative CHP technologies.
 
Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering from Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where she developed a strong foundation in energy systems. She then earned a Master of Science in Operations and Project Management from Southern New Hampshire University, further honing her business acumen and leadership skills.
 
Kimberly is dedicated to fostering a greener energy future by combining technical knowledge, strategic insights, and a commitment to sustainability.
 
She lives in Upstate New York and enjoys spending time with her husband and their four children, ages 24 to 12.  

Joan Kowal, Vice President, Business Development, Jacobs

Joan is the Vice President, Business Development for Jacobs, focused on the District Energy market for higher education, cities and municipals, airports and healthcare.  She was previously with NextEra Energy Resources, in Business Development for their Distributed Generation group, focused on university utility upgrade and development opportunities as well as other behind the meter generation solutions. 
 
Prior to NextEra, Joan spent 15 years on the client side managing energy and utilities for Emory University as well as the University System of Maryland. She joined UMD to manage their third-party contract for the University’s 25 MW combined heat and power plant.  She was also instrumental in procuring over 75 MW of utility-scale wind and solar through long term power purchase agreements for the benefit of the University System and State of MD.  Prior to her Higher Education roles, she was actively involved in the wholesale deregulated energy markets of the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. 
 
Joan currently serves on the International District Energy Association Executive Board of Directors and has been active in the association for many years.  She is a Mechanical Engineer from Bucknell University, a Certified Energy Manager and received her Professional Engineers License from the State of Georgia.  

Noah Nkonge, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Heat Export, Equinix

Noah is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in sustainable energy. He collaborates with individuals and organisations at the forefront of the energy transition, co-creating sustainable solutions that empower communities. Noah's expertise lies in industrial heat recovery and reuse for heat networks, where he has pioneered cross-industry waste heat partnerships in the UK to supply residual industrial heat to heat networks.
 
In 2023, Noah joined Equinix with the mission to scale up heat export from their global portfolio of data centres, benefiting local communities in which they operate. He is currently developing a pipeline that includes over 50 data centre sites worldwide, ensuring that Equinix plays a leading role in enabling the energy transition globally while creating local circular economies.

Tim Peer, Vice President, District Energy, BOND Construction

Tim Peer, P.E., is the Vice President of District Energy at BOND where he provides the forward planning, project development, and business leadership associated with the construction of central plant and thermal energy distribution systems. His background includes all facets of maintenance, operations, engineering, planning, construction, and project management. Prior to joining BOND, Tim served as a District Energy Submarket leader at CHA Consulting. In this role, he conducted numerous studies and provided engineering services for district energy systems. Prior to that, Tim worked at Cornell University for over 22 years in support of their world class district energy systems including the role of Energy Plant Manager. Tim is a graduate of Cornell University and is a licensed professional engineer in NY, NJ, CT, MA, and VA.

Bernie Pfeifer, North American Sales Director Power Generation, Solar Turbines

Bernie Pfeifer leads Solar Turbines Power Generation team for the North America market responsible for overseeing new gas turbine solutions and business development. A graduate from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada) as a Mechanical Engineer spent the early part of his career with a consulting engineering firm in Toronto Canada. Emigrated to Australia and spent 12 years developing and constructing small scale power plants and compressor stations in the region. In 2003, moved to Solar Turbines corporate head office in San Diego and worked in the complex project group, then assigned to be the Business Development manager of the project engineering group and later to the marketing group for the Power Generation division.  In 2007 moved his family to Connecticut overseeing new business sales for Solar Turbines Power Generation group in the Northeast.  In 2020 accepted current position responsible for North America Power Generation solutions and resides at the head office in San Diego California steering the group into Utility and Data center markets while maintaining a focus on onsite power generation for traditional CHP customers for industrial, commercial and institutional markets.