The International District Energy Association Announces Speakers and Program for IDEA2025
BOSTON & MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The International District Energy Association (IDEA) will be holding its 116 th annual conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota from Monday, June 2 to Thursday, June 5, 2025. Minnesota is an epicenter of district energy growth and has seen significant investment in district energy in recent years, including in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Duluth and Rochester.
The annual conference, which first opened in 1909, generally attracts attendees from more than 400 cities and nearly 30 countries from around the world. This year, the conference is organized under the theme 'Aggregate, Integrate, Innovate' - three of the main pillars and driving forces behind district energy.
'Aggregation, integration and innovation are a combination of qualities that are unique to district energy,' said Rob Thornton, President & CEO, IDEA. 'Together, these three capabilities enable the technology's ability to deliver resilient, efficient, reliable and sustainable energy solutions for cities and communities worldwide. We are excited to welcome this year's event speakers, guests and attendees to Minneapolis, where our programming will touch on these three core values that are directly impacting the exciting pace and momentum behind district energy here in North America and around the globe.'
IDEA is proud to welcome this year's keynote speaker, Joseph Majkut, to the conference on Tuesday, June 3. An expert in climate science and climate policy, Majkut is Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). At a moment when the energy industry is experiencing seismic federal policy shifts, coupled with regional inflections for natural gas and projections of historic growth in demand for power, Majkut will share an informed perspective on the global energy transition and where the district energy industry fits as resilient city-scale infrastructure in a future of more extreme weather events.
Attendees will enjoy a rich agenda at IDEA2025 with over 85 sessions and up to five topic track options at a time during the main program. IDEA will also offer two preconference workshops, providing in-depth exploration of District Energy & Data Centers and District Thermal Energy Networks. Each led by industry-respected experts, these workshops will deliver valuable insights and practical takeaways on these rapidly emerging topics. Attendees will leave with invaluable relationships and connections to a collegial network of colleagues facing similar policy, business and regulatory challenges for answers beyond the conference. Additional programming and talk tracks will cover decarbonizing district energy systems, integrating renewables, sector coupling, thermal energy networks, electrification, governance strategies, geo-exchange, nuclear energy, system optimization, heating, cooling, compliance, and much, much more.
Program highlights include:
Monday, June 2
Two workshop opportunities: District Energy & Data Centers and District Thermal Energy Networks (8:00am-3:00pm)
District Energy & Data Centers participants will learn directly from data center developers and district energy providers about market opportunities for the co-location and integration of data centers with district energy systems while exploring technical, business and regulatory considerations.
District Thermal Energy Networks attendees will explore technology options, business model guidance and discuss new tools to accelerate business development and shape policy evolution with federal, state, and local policy leaders.
Forums focusing on specialty areas such as District Cooling, District Energy's Women Initiative (DEWI), Future Energy, Business Development, and Young Professionals Group (YPG) (3:05pm-4:10pm)
Annual IDEA General Meeting (4:15pm-5:30pm)
Welcome Reception with Business Partner exhibitors (5:30pm-7:00pm)
Tuesday, June 3
Conference Opening with remarks from Rob Thornton, IDEA President & CEO; Joan Kowal, IDEA Chair 2024-2025, Jacobs; Jacob Graff, General Conference Chair & Host, President North & West Regions for Cordia; and the Honorable Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN (8:15am-9:15am)
Global Industry Leaders Plenary Panel (9:15am-10:15am), featuring the following speakers (invited):
Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower
Earl Collins, CEO, Cordia
Carlyle Coutinho, CEO, Enwave Energy Corporation
Frank Cuomo, Director, Commodity Operations, Con Edison
Luke Gaalswyk, CEO, Ever-Green Energy
Kevin Hagerty, CEO, Vicinity Energy
Meghan Riesterer, Chief Sustainability Officer, CenTrio
Diego Mandelbaum, Chief Development Officer, Corix
Keynote address with Joseph Majkut, Director, Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) on 'Energy Security Trends and Climate' (12:30pm-2:00pm)
Ongoing workshops and talk tracks throughout the day
Innovation Awards presentation (4:20pm-5:30pm)
Wednesday, June 4
Global Leaders in Technologies will explore a range of emergent clean energy solutions at city-scale (8:00am-8:55am) featuring the following speakers:
Rajesh Dixit, Senior Director, Global Product Management, Johnson Controls, Inc.
Neil Ethier, Vice President Business Development, Eavor Technologies, Inc.
Kevin Fox, Engineering Manager, Burns & McDonnell
Kimberly Greene, North American Sales Director, 2G Energy North America
Joan Kowal, Vice President, Business Development, Jacobs
Noah Nkonge, Senior Manager, Sustainability, Heat Export, Equinix
Tim Peer, Vice President, District Energy, BOND Construction
Bernie Pfeifer, North American Sales Director Power Generation, Solar Turbines
Ongoing workshops and talk tracks throughout the day
Annual Recognition and Awards Luncheon with remarks from David Woodson, incoming IDEA Chair (12:15pm-1:25pm)
Thursday, June 5
Two technical tour options of Cordia's Main Plant & Dayton's chiller plant, and District Energy St. Paul & University of Minnesota's main energy plant
'While advancement in district energy technologies is crucial, innovation and integration are also key factors for the people operating, maintaining and developing these systems,' said Joan Kowal, IDEA Board Chair and Vice President, Business Development at Jacobs. 'Our industry depends on a knowledgeable, dedicated workforce that is closely collaborating and exchanging ideas and best practices through events such as IDEA's annual conference, allowing us all to better serve our customers.'
IDEA would like to thank our 2025 Diamond Sponsors, Cordia, Empower Energy Solutions and Corix, and our Platinum Sponsors, CenTrio, Johnson Controls and Enwave Energy Corporation for their generous support and participation throughout the conference.
Registration is open. Please visit www.districtenergy.org/idea2025/home to learn more and reserve your spot.
About IDEA
The International District Energy Association (IDEA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit industry association founded in the United States in 1909. IDEA now has a membership of nearly 3,000 industry professionals representing more than 30 countries around the world. IDEA's mission is to actively foster the success of its members as leaders in providing reliable, economical, efficient and environmentally sound district heating, district cooling and combined heat and power to optimize energy efficiency, emissions reductions and sustainable solutions for mission-critical and community-scale markets.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
19 minutes ago
- Yahoo
SmartStop Prices Canadian Maple Bond Offering
LADERA RANCH, Calif., June 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ("SmartStop") (NYSE: SMA), an internally managed real estate investment trust and a premier owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the United States and Canada, announced the pricing of a Canadian Maple Bond offering. SmartStop's affiliated operating partnership, SmartStop OP, L.P., will issue CAD $500 million of series A senior unsecured notes due June 16, 2028 (the "Notes"). The Notes bear interest at a rate of approximately 3.91% per annum, payable in cash in equal semi-annual installments, commencing on December 16, 2025. The effective interest rate on the indentures after accounting for an interest rate hedge is approximately 3.85%. The Notes are rated BBB (Stable) by Morningstar DBRS. SmartStop intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay outstanding higher interest rate indebtedness, fund acquisitions and for general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on June 16, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws in the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes were offered exclusively to persons resident in a Canadian province through a syndicate of agents on a private placement basis. The Notes will not be sold to investors outside of Canada. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. This press release is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act. About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop): SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ("SmartStop") (NYSE: SMA) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 590 self-storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self-storage programs. As of June 11, 2025, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 222 operating properties in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, comprising approximately 158,900 units and 17.9 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 42 operating self-storage properties in Canada, which total approximately 35,700 units and 3.6 million rentable square feet. View source version on Contacts David Corak Senior VP of Corporate Finance and StrategySmartStop Self Storage REIT,
Business Wire
24 minutes ago
- Business Wire
SmartStop Prices Canadian Maple Bond Offering
LADERA RANCH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ('SmartStop') (NYSE: SMA), an internally managed real estate investment trust and a premier owner and operator of self-storage facilities in the United States and Canada, announced the pricing of a Canadian Maple Bond offering. SmartStop's affiliated operating partnership, SmartStop OP, L.P., will issue CAD $500 million of series A senior unsecured notes due June 16, 2028 (the 'Notes'). The Notes bear interest at a rate of approximately 3.91% per annum, payable in cash in equal semi-annual installments, commencing on December 16, 2025. The effective interest rate on the indentures after accounting for an interest rate hedge is approximately 3.85%. The Notes are rated BBB (Stable) by Morningstar DBRS. SmartStop intends to use the net proceeds from the offering to repay outstanding higher interest rate indebtedness, fund acquisitions and for general corporate purposes. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on June 16, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the 'Securities Act'), or any state securities laws in the United States and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes were offered exclusively to persons resident in a Canadian province through a syndicate of agents on a private placement basis. The Notes will not be sold to investors outside of Canada. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the Notes in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. This press release is being issued pursuant to and in accordance with Rule 135c under the Securities Act. About SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. (SmartStop): SmartStop Self Storage REIT, Inc. ('SmartStop') (NYSE: SMA) is a self-managed REIT with a fully integrated operations team of approximately 590 self-storage professionals focused on growing the SmartStop® Self Storage brand. SmartStop, through its indirect subsidiary SmartStop REIT Advisors, LLC, also sponsors other self-storage programs. As of June 11, 2025, SmartStop has an owned or managed portfolio of 222 operating properties in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, comprising approximately 158,900 units and 17.9 million rentable square feet. SmartStop and its affiliates own or manage 42 operating self-storage properties in Canada, which total approximately 35,700 units and 3.6 million rentable square feet.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
ERI's Kevin Dillon Describes Best Practices for the Safe and Responsible Handling of Batteries at Battery and Critical Metals Recycling Conference
NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 11, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kevin Dillon, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer of ERI, the nation's leading recycler of electronics and circular ITAD services provider, was a featured panelist on the subject of sustainable battery recycling at the Battery and Critical Metals Recycling Conference yesterday at the Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville. In the panel, moderated by Susan Eppes, Corporate Safety Manager for Waste Connections, Dillon spoke as part of a roundtable discussion examining end-of-life batteries from consumer electronics and other devices used in today's homes and workplaces and the e-mobility sector. He shared best practices for safely handling and disposing of batteries while reducing risks like contamination and fire hazards. "I'm honored to have been invited to participate in this important discussion alongside my industry colleagues," said Dillon. "There are many protocols and practices that companies can take to help minimize risk, and I'm glad we were able to share that information with our peers at the conference. Our friends at Recycling Today continue to produce vitally important impact events, and this week's timely and informative gathering was no exception." David Lewis from WM; Andrew Gardner from Ascend Elements; and Jordan Vexler from Monterrey Metal Recycling Solutions were also on the panel. "The proliferation of electronic consumer goods, industrial and commercial equipment and, increasingly, electric vehicles is creating an enormous flow of end-of-life batteries," said James Keefe, publisher of the Recycling Today Media Group, who produced the conference. "Only a small percentage of these batteries are collected and recycled. Our event was designed to examine the issues surrounding battery and critical metals recovery and recycling. We thank the thought leaders who participated in these powerful sessions." ERI is the largest fully integrated IT and electronics asset disposition provider and responsible hardware destruction company in the United States. ERI is certified at the highest level by all leading environmental and data security oversight organizations to de-manufacture, recycle, and refurbish every type of electronic device in an environmentally responsible manner. It is the first and only company in its industry to achieve carbon neutrality at all its facilities nationwide, and the first to achieve ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II certifications for security and data protection. ERI has the capacity to process more than a billion pounds of electronic waste annually at its eight certified locations, serving every zip code in the United States. ERI's mission is to protect people, the planet and privacy. For more information about ITAD services and e-waste recycling at ERI, call 1-800-ERI-DIRECT or visit View source version on Contacts Media contact: Paul Williams, 310/569-0023,
