At our recent 102nd Annual IDEA Conference in Toronto, we heard of a number of encouraging trends for the district energy industry. The theme of the conference, "District Energy/CHP 2011: Essential Infrastructure for Energy-Efficient Communities," was on full display in the opening plenary session as global industry leaders described roadmapping strategies, insightful policies and robust investments in district energy infrastructure aimed at more fully integrating combined heat and power and harvesting useful heat to make thermal energy an integral platform in a more sustainable urban future. It has long been my belief that any city that wants to reasonably claim the mantle of sustainability must have vibrant, effective district energy infrastructure to fully realize a low-carbon future. The economic and environmental health of our urban centers cannot rely solely on wires and natural gas piping to support growing population densities.
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