Onsite - June 2009

Welcome! Dear Colleagues and Friends,

Welcome to the International
District Energy Association’s 100th
Annual Conference & Trade Show -
District Energy/CHP 2009: Local Energy, Global Solution!

This is indeed an historic event for IDEA, and many of you have traveled great distances to join us in Washington, D.C., to celebrate our centennial. Thank you for your support: We have set an all-time record for conference attendance with over 600 people registered!

By coming together here in Washington, D.C., we all gain professional sustenance from the technical and business discussions so important to our industry momentum. By learning and exchanging experiences, we emerge even more motivated and energized to collaborate on challenges best suited for collective industry advocacy. And finally, in reconnecting with industry colleagues and friends, we continue to grow personally and professionally as our businesses prosper and our horizons expand.

I believe that the best years for district energy are still ahead of us. For the past century, IDEA members and guests have come together annually to share ideas, exchange solutions and to learn about new challenges and opportunities. This year, with our 100th anniversary conference in the nation’s capital, our program features more policy panels and strategic discussions, as compared to the more traditional technical presentations. We want to engage our members in policy discussions that affect us all, plus use this conference to inform and connect with policy makers to advance the awareness of district energy as a timely economical and environmental solution.

One example is the session featuring past System of the Year Award winners, providing a cross section of industry technologies from lake water cooling to biomass to thermal storage to landfill gas and more. These “best-in-class” award winners demonstrate the range of solutions feasible with community scale district energy infrastructure. We hope these stories of innovation and operational excellence will inspire others, plus resonate on our web site well after the conference is completed. Additionally, we have chosen this 100th anniversary setting to salute past excellence and historic contributions in lieu of presenting our traditional individual annual awards.

IDEA is grateful to the many contributions of our Business Partner members who also turned out in record numbers this year, filling over 90 exhibit spaces. The outstanding support of our many Sponsors – especially the generous commitments of Sustaining Sponsors Enwave and NRG Thermal – has made a critical difference in this year’s conference. In these challenging economic times, our sponsors have stepped forward. We thank you!

I extend a special welcome to members who, although retired, have come back to reconnect and help us celebrate this very special occasion. And I offer warm greetings to those of you participating in a conference for the very first time. Let’s all make a special effort to welcome our past and new participants – all are vital to IDEA’s longevity and continued success.

For me personally, it is a great privilege to be part of IDEA and to serve this important industry at this historic time. In closing, I thank the dedicated staff of IDEA, our Conference Host David Mbonu of the U.S. General Services Administration, Conference Technical Chair David Musto of Thermo Systems and all the presenters, moderators and panelists for their contributions to this 100th Annual Conference & Trade Show.

Finally, I want to congratulate Dennis Fotinos on a very successful term as IDEA Chair and thank all the members of the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors for their solid support and contributions throughout the year. I hope you all enjoy the time we spend together here in Washington, D.C., and are enriched by the experience.