District Energy - 2006 Second Quarter

Members
Speak Out
Time to Rev Up
Research Initiatives
David W. Wade, PE, President, RDA Engineering Inc.

Editor’s Note: “Members Speak Out” runs in periodic issues of District Energy magazine. Its purpose is for a member to briefly share his/her district energy experiences and opinions – and obtain feedback from fellow members. If you have comments on this column, please email David Wade at the address below – or email IDEA with your response for publication in the next issue.

country, and district cooling systems have been in operation for more than 50 years. Although the industry declined after World War II, interest has been renewed in recent years due to rising fuel prices and interest in combined heat and power. Still, district systems are viewed by many to be an outdated technology that has changed little since its application a century ago. By comparison, microturbines, fuel cells, photovoltaics and wind energy are

When U.S. Department of Energy officials are asked about the lack of research in the district energy area, their typical response is, “There doesn’t seem to be any interest.” In other words, our industry has not put forth a research agenda and requested help. It is our job to identify areas needing research, identify benefits available from successful research projects and identify innovative and capable researchers. With a research plan in hand, we can request government funding and build the public-private partnerships necessary to pay for research activities. It’s time we identified areas where research could help us, put together a research plan, collect the resources necessary and make old district energy technology new again.

Record fuel prices and instability of imported energy supplies have caused Americans to embrace energy conservation ideas and search for new technologies that will provide reliable, stably priced energy. In 2001, the Bush administration launched its energy policy at the District Energy St. Paul system, hailing the system as a model of energy efficiency and energy diversity. Since then, the Bush administration has reportedly spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner energy alternatives. But how much of that has been spent on district energy?

Much of the money has been directed at automobiles. Some has been directed at clean coal research, which will benefit large electric-generating stations. Other funds are going to nuclear energy, where plants will not be constructed near enough to population centers to use waste heat, and to other technologies such as fuel cells, photocells and wind power, which produce electricity. The 2005 Energy Act provides subsidies for nuclear energy, a billion dollars for nuclear research, tax credits for wind power and aggressive energy-reduction goals for federal facilities.

District heating systems have been used for more than 100 years in this

What types of research could

benefit our industry and make

it more competitive?

David W. Wade, PE, is pres-
ident of RDA Engineering Inc.
in Atlanta and has been an
IDEA member for more than
20 years. He has served on
IDEA’s board and is a past
chairman of ASHRAE’s
national technical committees
dealing with Building Steam and Hot Water
Systems and District Heating and Cooling.
Wade may be reached at dww@rdaeng.com.

Column also available at
www.districtenergy.org/de_magazine.htm

seen as new technologies with substantial growth potential and environmental benefits. Research to make these new technologies competitive is supported by industrial groups, venture capitalists and the federal government. The question for the district energy industry is, Are we as good as we can be? Can we compete with new technologies?

It’s past time for IDEA members to step back and think outside the box. What types of research could benefit our industry and make it more competitive? Can we provide better guidelines for planners and engineers in the application of systems? Are there new techniques in the application of district energy systems? Are new materials available? Can we make installation techniques more efficient so that systems are less expensive? Can systems be financed more creatively?