IDEA Innovation Award

Submit for the 2023 IDEA Innovation Award

The 2023 IDEA Innovation Award application is now online.

The IDEA Innovation Award showcases projects, collaborations, or programs that helped reduce energy usage, enhanced efficiency or strengthened reliability.

These are projects must be active, replicable, with the potential for widespread application, have enhanced stakeholder community and demonstrated the value proposition of district energy to the marketplace.

The 2022 IDEA Innovation Award was presented at IDEA2022 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel in Toronto to Dalhousie University and FVB Energy, for their submission, Utilizing Organic Rankine Cycle Technology to Improve Campus District Energy System Efficiencies.

View the 2022 IDEA Innovation Award Winner - Dalhousie University and FVB Energy

Honorable Mention recognition was also given to Enwave Energy Corporation and Emicool for their unique submissions. 

2022 IDEA Innovation Award Honorable Mention-Emicool
View the 2022 IDEA Innovation Honorable Mention-Enwave

The 2023 IDEA Innovation Award application is now available. The deadline to submit is Friday, April 7, 2023, view the application below.

Download the 2023 IDEA Innovation Award Application


Email Jason Beal at jason.idea@districtenergy.org with any questions.

Innovation in District Energy

The IDEA Innovation Award showcases examples of technology, engineering and operational innovation within the district energy industry. Presented annually at IDEA's Annual Conference & Trade Show, the award is evaluated in four main categories:

  • Ingenuity: the technology has to be a new technical, business, or operating practice that shows ingenuity.
  • Measured Success: the technology must be working for a sustained period of time with demonstrated efficiency success that can be measured.
  • Replicable: the innovation must be replicable, meaning that this idea can be easily applied elsewhere.
  • Economic & Environmental: the innovation must demonstrate economic and environmental benefits.

This Year's Winner