ket value of CO2 in Europe ( 24 USD per
metric ton), the CO2 emission-reduction
value of wood substituting for coal is
more than $2/MMBtu of wood fuel.
District energy systems hold the potential for significant reductions in GHG emissions and thus could benefit from strong
climate change policies. For example:
1. Properly designed GHG markets will
create economic incentives to create or
expand highly efficient district energy
systems through implementation of CHP
or conversion to renewable energy or
low-GHG fuels.
2. A revolving fund should be established
to provide financing for constructing
CHP and related facilities in colleges,
universities, municipalities, and other
public sector or non-profit entities. This
will reduce operating costs for universities
and colleges, helping them hold down
tuition costs and focus budget resources
on education. It also will increase energy
security and power supply and reduce
peak power demand.
3. Utilities should be encouraged to recycle energy normally wasted in power
generation through a generation portfolio standard that encompasses not
only renewable energy, but also CHP.
This concept recently was endorsed by
former EPA Administrator Christine
Todd Whitman (see p. 16).
Mark Spurr is legislative
director of IDEA. He is
also vice president of
FVB Energy Inc., a con-
sulting firm specializing
in district energy and
CHP business develop-
ment, engineering and
marketing, with offices in the United
States, Canada and Sweden. Spurr
serves on the Executive Committee of
the International Energy Agency
Implementing Agreement on District
Heating and Cooling, including Imple-
mentation of CHP. He may be contacted
by email at mspurr@fvbenergy.com.
Column also available at
www.districtenergy.org/de_magazine.htm
People In
the News
Sebesta Blomberg and Associates Inc.
has announced the appointment of Tony
R. Litton to its board of directors. Litton
joins five other members on the firm’s
board. With the company since 2001,
Litton is based at the
firm’s main office in
Roseville, Minn., and
serves as division
leader for the company’s industrial utilities
group. Sebesta
Blomberg, founded in 1994, provides consulting engineering services to international
clients and has offices in nine U.S. states
and Shanghai, China.
Citizens Gas & Coke Utility has promoted Bill Tracy to senior vice president
of operations, with overall responsibility
for the utility’s gas and thermal divisions.
Previously the company’s vice president of
market development,
Tracy will retain marketing and new business development
responsibilities. He
joined Citizens Gas in
2001 as vice president of market development after the utility acquired the thermal
energy assets of Indianapolis Power &
Light (IPL). Tracy had been with IPL since
1967, holding progressively responsible
positions there culminating in his promotion to vice president of thermal systems.
Citizens Thermal Energy (CTE) of
Indianapolis, Ind., has named two employees to new management positions. Jeff
Hansen has been appointed facilities
manager for the company’s chilled-water
plants. His responsibilities include CTE’s
West Street, ICE and Illinois Street plants
as well as three satellite plants. Hansen
joined CTE’s parent company Citizens Gas
& Coke Utility in 2000 when it acquired
the thermal energy assets of Indianapolis
Power & Light (IPL). Previously manager
for chilled-water plants at IPL, he became
customer service and distribution manager
for steam after joining Citizens.
Bob Asher has been named thermal
customer service/distribution manager,
responsible for leadership and management of the customer
billing, customer service, and steam and
chilled-water distribution systems at CTE.
Asher formerly served
as project coordinator
for CTE at its Lilly
Greenfield site. Prior to
joining the company in 2002, he spent 20
years with the U.S. Navy, retiring as senior
chief gas turbine specialist and as the
principal assistant to the department
head.
Yokogawa Corporation of America
announced that David Johnson has been
named president and chief operating officer
of Yokogawa’s North American operations.
Johnson will have responsibility for all of
Yokogawa’s North American businesses.
He is the first non-Japanese to hold the
position. Johnson, a 17-year Yokogawa
veteran, brings extensive executive management experience
in industrial / business
automation. Most
recently, he ran
Yokogawa’s North
American Industrial
Automation
Instrument business.
Yokogawa Corporation
of America is the North American unit of
Yokogawa Electric Corporation. Headquartered in Newnan, Ga., Yokogawa
Corporation of America serves a diverse
customer base with market-leading products including analyzers, flow meters,
transmitters, controllers, recorders, data
acquisition products, meters, instruments,
distributed control systems, and more.
