District Energy - 2006 Second Quarter

It has been an honor and a privilege to

serve as IDEA chair this past year. As my

term nears its end, I am struck by the

significant amount of work accomplished

in such a short time. The theme for my

term was ‘Partnering for Success,’ and the

commitment made to this ideal by every

IDEA member was clearly evident.

As we all know, partnering through

education, growth of industry knowledge,

forging relationships and ensuring we have

a voice in the development of key energy

and environmental policies is critical to our

personal and collective success. To that end,

I am pleased to report that IDEA member-

ship increased by almost 10 percent this

year and conference and workshop atten-

dance rose nearly 50 percent. Several key

initiatives geared toward increasing IDEA’s

influence were also achieved, including

launching the Web-based archives

‘shopping cart’;

obtaining a U.S. Department of Commerce

grant to promote district energy interna-

tionally;

signing a Co-operation Agreement

(Memorandum of Understanding) with

Korea District Heating Association and

drafting regional chapter guidelines for

establishing new international IDEA

chapters;

developing an outline for a district cooling

best-practices guide in coordination with

international chapters;

obtaining an International Energy Associa-

tion grant to be used for assessing the

actual energy efficiency of building scale

cooling systems;

forming an advocacy coalition and pro-

viding leadership on the recycled energy

Chair’s
Message

campaign; and

developing a video to promote IDEA.

As we heard at the campus conference in Albuquerque, gas and oil price volatility is expected to continue. The U.S. will continue depending on foreign sources for its oil supply and become more dependent on foreign sources for liquefied natural gas. Campus energy leaders shared how their energy procurement strategies now focus more on managing risk than simply improving the bottom line. We also heard how most campuses are currently undergoing an explosion in the planning and construction of new facilities and that savvy campus energy leaders are responding to energy price volatility and campus growth by expanding central energy generation and supply systems.

The message we heard from Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) in Albuquerque was that the U.S. needs more engineers and scientists and development of centralized energy generation and supply systems to sustain its competitive technical edge and meet national energy demand. Throughout the nation, district energy system construction is booming and will play an increasingly important role in U.S. energy strategy. We were also told that organizations with combined heat and power systems need to speak out to ensure the technology is an integral part of meeting U.S. energy needs.

As an association, we have many dedicated volunteers working to ensure that IDEA continues to be the ‘go-to’ resource on energy generation, distribution, sustainability, efficiency and reliability. I am grateful to our IDEA board members, who contribute countless hours to advancing our industry and association. I sincerely thank our outgoing board members for their leadership and support over the past three years.

I extend my appreciation to Juan Ontiveros, University of Texas at Austin, for his help on membership, leadership in the Campus Forum and many technical presentations; Steve Spiwak, Nalco Co., for his sponsorships, leadership in the Business Partners Forum and participation in our exhibit halls; Rick Pucak, Akron Thermal, for serving as technical co-chair of the 97th annual conference; Dany Safi, Tabreed, for fostering a

new regional chapter of IDEA in the Middle East and his advocacy of developing a new district cooling best-practices guide; Mike Thompson, Trane, for his support, sponsorships and participation in the conference exhibit hall; and Scott Clark, Carter & Burgess, for his work on the campus conference technical program, assistance with the Campus Forum and many hours working on specific board tasks.

I am particularly indebted to Anders Rydaker, District Energy St. Paul, past chair of IDEA, for his support throughout my term. His energetic advocacy of CHP was clearly instrumental in focusing high-level attention on the technology as a vital, integral part of our national energy strategy. His continued attention to IDEA’s strategic plan helped ensure its successful implementation and outstanding results this year. His insights on the development of the best-practices guide to district cooling and formation of new international regional chapters were key to the progress made on these initiatives.

Last, but not least, I express my sincere appreciation to Rob Thornton, IDEA president, for all that he has done on behalf of our association this past year. Rob’s vision and stewardship – not to mention wonderful sense of humor – were truly the secret to our success. I am deeply grateful to Rob and his entire staff: Dina, Tanya, Laxmi, Mark and Monica. Thank you!

In June, I will turn the gavel over to Gary Rugel, a tireless and dedicated IDEA advocate. Gary is a respected leader in our industry with a clear vision for our association’s future. I admire Gary’s leadership and pledge to support him to the utmost in the coming year.

We have had a very successful partnership this year. We have worked hard together, supported each other, come together for our industry and association and been stronger for it. Let’s commit to continuing this partnership and growing even stronger together!