109th IDEA Conference
The 109th annual conference and tradeshow of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) was held in June 11-14 in Vancouver, Canada.
The event attracted 800 attendees from 22 countries all over the world.
As part of the conference, the DES Initiative co-hosted with IDEA and APUE the workshop “District Energy for Warmer Climates: District Cooling, CHP and Microgrids for Cities, Communities and Campuses.
As urban populations densify and expand, especially in warmer climates like Asia Pacific, the need for more efficient, sustainable and resilient energy services increases. Cities, communities and campuses are turning to district energy to support economic growth, enhance resiliency and avoid emissions. Traditional electric utility models with large, remote central plants are giving way to more distributed generation, renewables and community-scale district energy/CHP/microgrids. Governments, agencies, private and public real estate developers and utility providers are seeking proven options to deliver reliable, affordable energy services, especially to dense urban centers.
This workshop featured global industry experts sharing experience from real-world cases, enabling
deeper discussion on complex issues, with special emphasis on business models and strategies for successful development and financing of district energy systems and microgrids.