Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition. 

Dr. Andrej Jentsch is the Programme Manager at IEA DHC, the International Energy Agency’s Technology Collaboration Programme on District Heating and Cooling. He leads AGFW’s flagship project, the “Real-World Laboratory for Large Heat Pumps in District Heating,” and specializes in exergy-based analysis and comparison of energy systems. He is also principal of Richtvert, a science-based energy systems consultancy.

Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition. 

Jeff Giffin is an engineer with 17 years of experience designing, operating, and maintaining innovative water and energy systems. His track record includes deploying large scale sustainable energy and water projects and optimizing existing systems to reduce costs, extend life, and improve environmental performance. Jeff lives and works in Bellingham, WA, and is the Senior Development Manager for the Pacific Northwest at Corix, overseeing the development of new low carbon Thermal Energy Networks.

Tomasz Smetny-Sowa, Senior Program Director, Energy Services Acquisition Program (ESAP)
Tomasz Smetny-Sowa has been the Senior Director of ESAP since June 2012. Tomasz has a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Building Systems from Gdansk Technical University in Poland and has worked with HVAC systems in buildings and ships, as well as with District Energy Systems (DES) in Poland, Sweden, and Denmark. After teaching thermodynamics, related subjects for four years at the University in Oran, Algeria, Tomasz came to Canada in 1985. He worked in the private sector as a consultant for 8 years and in 1993 he joined the Federal Public Service at the department of Public Services and Procurement Canada as a Mechanical Engineer with the Architectural and Engineering Services team. He became Manager of the Mechanical and Electrical Engineering team in 2009. In this role, Tomasz contributed to the ESAP feasibility study.
Following a 2009 boiler explosion at the Cliff heating and cooling plant in Ottawa, Ontario Canada, Tomasz led the Temporary Boiler Plant initiative from concept to commissioning.
Since then, Tomasz has been responsible for leading a diverse team including technical advisors with specialized experience in District Energy Systems, and for shaping the project development process and delivering a Validation Workshop, which supported the development of the ESAP business case. His extensive knowledge and experience are significant assets for the project.
In his role as Senior Director, Tomasz is accountable for the Program’s strategic direction, operational leadership, stakeholder relationships and engagement, the project’s governance structure as well as the project’s risk management.

Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition. 

Michael Ahern has over 30 years of experience in leading development, engineering, construction, operation, and management of industrial and energy systems. This includes operational oversight of businesses in the industrial and energy fields, with a specific focus on district systems over the last fifteen years. At Ever-Green, he leads the development and advancement of mission-based campus and community energy and utility systems that achieve clients’ strategic goals. Ahern holds a BS in Business Finance from the University of Notre Dame, with an International Business Minor.

Mathieu Lévesque, P.Eng., MBA, is Technology & Alternatives Lead at the Building Decarbonization Alliance (BDA), where he bridges technical insights and policy strategy. With more than 15 years across engineering and clean energy consulting, he has advised governments, utilities, industry groups, and real estate portfolio owners on initiatives ranging from building-level projects to sector-wide assessments and strategies across North America. Previously, he was Managing Consultant and heating decarbonization lead at Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, after starting his career as an efficiency engineer. At BDA, Mathieu plays a leading role in two major Thermal Energy Networks initiatives — the focus of today's talk.

Nilus Klingel, AICP is a senior project manager on the Building Strategy + Planning team at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)

Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition. 

Mark Spurr has been a district energy consultant since 1985 and has played a key role in the growth of District Energy in the U.S. and the Middle East. He advises utilities, cities and universities regarding creation of new thermal energy businesses, district energy system design, economic analysis, energy infrastructure and decarbonization master planning, rate design and due diligence review for asset acquisitions or sales. Current work focuses on design of new low-to-no carbon greenfield systems and on decarbonization of existing district energy systems.

In addition to serving many private and public sector clients, since 1990 Mark has also served as Legislative Director of the International District Energy Association, where he is responsible for developing and advocating policies, legislation and regulations to encourage the expansion of district energy systems. Mark is IDEA’s point person on the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and has extensive knowledge of the IRA incentives and related proposed regulations.

Mark has led the development of international design guidance documents relating to conversion and connection of buildings for district energy service, design of district cooling systems, and integration of waste heat recovery and renewable energy in sustainable energy systems.

Gerard is a Principal with Reshape Infrastructure Strategies, an development and advisory firm based in Vancouver, BC that operates across North America. He is a Professional Engineer (non-practising) with a Master’s degree in Clean Energy Engineering. Gerard has twenty years of experience in green buildings and district energy/thermal energy networks. He supports energy utilities, master plan developers, campuses, and municipalities to accelerate the energy transition.