Blogs

Nationwide Boiler Announces Leadership Succession, Appoints Jim Lieskovan President

By District Energy posted an hour ago
Nationwide Boiler Summary Nationwide Boiler Inc., supplier of industrial rental boilers, new and used in-stock package boilers, emissions control equipment and custom PLC control systems, is pleased to announce a planned leadership transition designed to ensure continuity and long-term stability. Current VP of Sales, Jim Lieskovan, has been appointed President effective August 1, 2026, and Larry Day will continue in his role as CEO through his retirement in January 2027. Serving as Nationwide Boiler’s President and CEO since 2016, Larry has played a key role in guiding the company’s growth, strengthening its market position, and advancing Nationwide Boiler’s ...

Ottawa Chooses Low Temp Water

By District Energy posted 18 hours ago
Today's Boiler Summary Ottawa's $3.5 billion Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP) is transforming one of North America's largest legacy steam district energy systems into a low-temperature hot water network serving more than 80 federal buildings, including Parliament Hill. By combining low-temperature distribution with electric boilers powered by Hydro-Québec's low-carbon grid, high-efficiency peak-load boilers, and advanced digital controls, the project is expected to reduce energy use by 20–30% while creating a flexible platform for future electrification. Project leaders emphasize that successful decarbonization depends on integrated system design—coordinating ...

RFP: Renewable Energy Consulting Services: University of Minnesota

By District Energy posted 2 days ago
The Office of Sustainability is seeking to issue an RFP for renewable energy consulting services to evaluate all opportunities for renewable energy development and procurement. This consultant will assist with comparing renewable energy development opportunities on university lands to other market options based on the emissions, financial, and mission targets set by the Implementation team. Related to University lands, the consultant(s) will provide expertise in real estate (title, easements), renewable energy site selection, and technology choices. The consultant(s) will advise on opportunities for the acquisition of renewable energy on a large scale ...

Metro Vancouver has issued a request for bids for construction of the Lulu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (LIWWTP)

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
Delta Optimist Summary Metro Vancouver has issued a request for bids for construction of the Lulu Island Wastewater Treatment Plant (LIWWTP) effluent heat recovery (EHR) system and high efficiency boiler (HEB) upgrades. The LIWWTP’s EHR and HEB project scope includes the construction of a new EHR system to recycle heat from plant effluent stream and divert it to the dual-digester system, as well as the installation of a new HEB suited to meet the reduced plant heating demand, offset by the EHR system, Metro explains. Another Metro report explains that the heat recovery project has been developed in collaboration with Lulu Island Energy Company, which ...

Veolia to operate microgrid to power AI data center campus in Ohio

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
Chemical Engineering Summary Veolia, a global leader in environmental services, has been selected by a major project developer to operate and maintain a 350-megawatt microgrid to power an AI data center campus. This contract builds on Veolia’s Data Center Resource 360 offer launched earlier this year, helping data centers operate reliably while reducing energy, water and waste impacts and strengthening community resilience and environmental security. Continue Reading #News #Microgrids

With major strides toward decarbonization, Brown to create sustainable thermal energy system

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
Brown University Summary As Brown University moves toward a pledge to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, the University will take a major step toward decarbonization and energy resiliency by creating a modern, sustainable thermal energy system on its College Hill campus. Brown will advance its in-progress transition away from fossil fuels through a new multi-phase initiative to upgrade how the campus creates and distributes heat. As the next step in a series of long-term actions toward its net-zero commitment, the initiative follows official third-party verification in May that Brown achieved its initial goal to cut greenhouse emissions ...

$23M awarded to Massachusetts facilities for clean energy projects

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
Facilities Dive Summary Massachusetts is awarding $23 million in clean energy grants at nine public colleges and state facilities, the state announced Monday. The awards will cover up to 45% of the cost for projects that include connecting geothermal systems and implementing energy efficiency measures at the University of Massachusetts’ Dartmouth, Boston and Amherst campuses; Massachusetts Maritime Academy; Salem State University; and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and Development Services. When taken together, the projects are expected to reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 21,000 metric tons and lower long-term costs for ...

Heat networks are a £100 billion opportunity being wasted

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
Energy Live News Summary A new report from ADE: Heat Networks argues that government action to make heat networks cost-competitive with gas could reduce household heating bills, cut emissions and unlock £100 billion of private investment across the UK. Heat networks are expected to play a significant role in decarbonising buildings by using renewable and recovered heat sources to provide efficient, centralised heating. Expanding their deployment would reduce dependence on imported natural gas, improve energy security and help Britain meet its net zero commitments. Continue Reading #News #DistrictHeating

Is district cooling the solution we need for extreme heat in cities?

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
New Scientist Summary More than 77 million people in Europe enjoy district heating, where hot water is piped from a central plant to homes and buildings. The US has hundreds of these networks, mostly in multi-building campuses like universities, airports and business districts. But as both Europe and North America swelter through yet another heatwave this week, many are wondering whether the mirror image of that technology, pipe networks of chilled water, could be a better cooling option than air conditioning. Continue Reading #News #DistrictCooling

Beneath London, a hidden power station fuels the Square Mile

By District Energy posted 5 days ago
London Times Summary Hidden beneath London's historic Smithfield Market, the Citigen energy center demonstrates how legacy district energy infrastructure can be transformed to support modern decarbonization goals. Originally built as a power station in 1893, the network now provides heating, cooling, and electricity to approximately 60 buildings across the City of London while integrating technologies such as combined heat and power, heat pumps, geothermal energy, and thermal storage. Looking ahead, operator E.ON plans to expand the system significantly by capturing waste heat from the Cory energy-from-waste facility and transporting it into central London, ...

Michael Wiggin Awarded IDEA’s Lifetime Achievement Award: Building the Case for District Energy

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
IDEA presented Michael Wiggin with its Lifetime Achievement Award at IDEA2026 in Ottawa this June. Ottawa is home to the Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP), the federal government's district energy modernization project, and Wiggin helped shape it decades before the Cliff Energy Centre celebrated its opening on June 23, 2026. A career and an industry arriving at the same milestone together doesn't happen by accident. It is the result of forty years of work that, for most of that time, most people considered niche, carried out across research labs, municipal advocacy campaigns, and federal policy tables long before district energy had the profile ...

Clichy-Livry geothermal heating project in France receives €30m grant

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Think GeoEnergy Summary The geothermal heating project under development in Clichy-sous-Bois and Livry-Gargan in France has received a EUR 30 million grant from the Heat Fund. The “Clichy Livry Chaleur” project, a geothermal heating project covering the communes of Clichy-sous-Bois and Livry-Gargan in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France, has secured a EUR 30.2 million from the Heat Fund managed by the French Ecological Transition Agency (ADEME). Continue Reading #News #Geothermal and Geo-Exchange #DistrictHeating

Sand-Based Thermal Battery in Finnish Town Marks Major Step for Clean Energy Storage

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Briefs Summary Renewable energy has one big flaw: the wind doesn't always blow and the sun doesn't always shine. That makes it hard to rely on clean power around the clock. The small Finnish town of Pornainen found a workaround. It built a giant battery filled with crushed soapstone that stores heat when electricity is cheap and releases it when needed. The battery stands 13 meters high and 15 meters wide. Inside sits 2,000 metric tons of crushed soapstone. The whole setup can store 100 MWh of thermal energy. On a single charge, it can cover the town's heating needs for nearly a month in summer and about a week in winter. The local heating company, ...

Beyond available power: the new logic of data center siting

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Kearney Summary Data-center siting is no longer just a search for land and power. It is becoming a more complex, multidimensional investment decision: matching the requirements of a workload to the constraints and advantages of a location. Heat reuse is most valuable where there is a credible local off-taker, such as district heating, industrial users, greenhouses, or public buildings. A rural site with abundant power may have little practical heat-reuse potential. A denser location may face more permitting scrutiny, but it may also have more ways to turn waste heat into a local benefit. Meta’s Odense data center offers a practical example. Its heat-recovery ...

Badenova, Herrenknecht finalize joint geothermal project in Hartheim, Germany

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Think GeoEnergy Summary Herrenknecht and Badenova have finalized the agreement to jointly develop a geothermal heating project at the Hartheim site in Germany. Following reports of early talks a few weeks ago, energy company Badenova AG and technology company Herrenknecht AG have confirmed that they will be jointly developing a geothermal heating project at the Hartheim district near Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. “Geothermal projects of this scale require diverse expertise. Herrenknecht contributes experience from deep drilling and infrastructure projects, while Badenova brings expertise from heat supply and district heating operations. ...

Could Sadiq Khan Allow Sustainable Data Centres in London?

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Sustainability Magazine Summary Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, UK, looks set to allow data centres to be built on parts of London 's green belt, land that has been protected from development since the Second World War. Heat recovery has become a growing part of the conversation around data centre sustainability. The computers inside data centres produce large amounts of heat, which is why constant cooling is required. The idea of heat recovery systems make use of this thermal energy, directing it to heat nearby buildings rather than allowing it to go to waste. Data centres already act as the engine of district heating networks in some cities, ...

Budget 2027 must address social housing and retrofitting to aid poorer with energy costs, watchdog warns

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Irish Independent Summary Increased funding via Budget 2027 is vital to beat a State social housing target, retrofit homes, improve health outcomes and shield citizens from high costs — a climate watchdog warned. The Climate Change Advisory Council said increased investment and faster rollout is vital to retrofit social homes, install heat pumps, solar PV and district heating, to not only help cut emissions but also “improve comfort and health outcomes and to protect citizens against volatile energy costs.” The Council stated progress on local authority social housing retrofits remains “too slow, with only 10,370 homes retrofitted since 2021. Around 5,000 ...

UNM to receive $9.6 million for Grid Modernization to advance campus electrification, strengthen energy resilience

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
University of New Mexico Summary The University of New Mexico is modernizing its grid with the launch of a state-funded project that will electrify campus heating systems, deploy battery energy storage, and reduce carbon emissions across UNM’s Albuquerque campuses. UNM’s Albuquerque campuses relies on a district energy system powered by natural-gas fired cogeneration turbines and steam systems. This project pilots a transition away from natural gas-derived steam heating by utilizing water-to-water heat pumps and existing chilled water infrastructure to electrify heating in campus buildings. A second component involves the installation of a battery ...

Novi Sad in Serbia introducing geothermal, solar energy in district heating

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Balkan Green Energy News Summary Novi Sad’s district heating utility Novosadska toplana has launched a tender for the design and construction of the Mišeluk heating plant, which will combine geothermal energy, natural gas and solar energy. The estimated procurement value of the project in Serbia’s second-largest city is RSD 892.5 million (EUR 7.6 million), excluding value-added tax. The Mišeluk heating plant would be part of the city-owned district heating firm Novosadska toplana. It would supply residential, commercial, public, and sports facilities in the Mišeluk neighborhood, on the right bank of the Danube. The area has a district heating network, ...

Empower Highlights Smart Practices To Enhance Cooling Efficiency During Summer

By District Energy posted 6 days ago
Mena FN Summary As summer temperatures continue to rise, Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation PJSC (Empower), the world's largest district cooling services provider, is encouraging residential, commercial, and individual customers to adopt simple daily energy-saving practices. These measures can help maintain indoor comfort throughout the summer season while improving energy efficiency, reducing energy consumption costs, and contributing to lower carbon emissions. The company urged its customers to follow the recommended guidelines throughout the summer season to maximise the efficiency and sustainability of cooling services. Key recommendations ...