DTE Vantage designs, builds, operates, maintains, and finances energy solutions for clients ranging from heavy manufacturers to commercial campuses. We currently own and operate over 70 projects delivering our customers with power, thermal loads, utility services, renewable natural gas, and carbon capture solutions. 

In this presentation we will discuss on-site solutions we have developed with a particular focus on the ever-expanding data center industry. We will also present how those projects participate in the electricity market and continue to change over time as customers' and utilities' power needs evolve and grid reliability transforms. 

o How power projects integrate with the grid 
o Various grid arrangements are dependent upon clients' needs, cost structures, and regulatory restrictions
o Evolution of on-site power generation over lifecycle of host facility and changing grid demand
o Modularity is key, inclusive of mobile generation, dual fuel capability, and battery, and renewable integration.
o Scale and growth targets require continual expansion and generation technology changes particularly as sites reach 1GW+ loads
o Case Studies
o DTE Backup Generation ? Multiple sites including Ford data center ? Dual fuel reciprocating engines for back-up power
o DTE Metro Airport ? Detroit Metro Airport ? Gas turbine and reciprocating dual fuel engines for back-up power
o DTE Stanton ? Ford and BOSK ? Gas turbines and thermal battery for prime power
o Confidential Data Center ? Data center ? Multiple gas turbines for prime power and back-up power
o DTE Dearborn: ? Ford (thermal) and local utility (power) ? Gas turbines, steam turbine, and thermal battery for prime power
o DTE Philadelphia ? Philadelphia Navy Shipyard ? Solar, fuel cell, electric battery, and reciprocating engines for prime power and back-up power
o Future-proofing onsite power generation to transition away from prime power, to back-up, to a utility resource

Keywords: Data Centers, On-Site Generation, Reliability

Presentation Description: To efficiently harvest deep geothermal energy universally an innovative closed loop horizontal well solution is proposed, which can be implemented in any geological setting as there is no requirement for fluids to circulate through a geological formation. This is unlike the doublet hydrothermal solution, which has specific geological requirements. The geothermal well is drilled to a depth of 3-5 km depth with an up 5 km horizontal section utilizing oil field drilling technology and completed with a pipe-in-pipe concept with the inner pipe having a double wall with a continuous vacuum. The fluid will flow within the outer pipe spacing and along a geological formation in the horizontal section of the well. In this process, the fluid is heated and then returned to the surface in the inner dual vacuum pipe at the toe of the well with minimal heat loss by being similarly to a thermoflask. Without continuous vacuum 30-40% of the energy harvested is lost on the journey to the surface. There is no downhole maintenance of equipment and the maintenance of the surface equipment is minimal as the circulation fluid is not exposed to damaging formation fluids. A reliable and constant production of a heated fluid at a temperature not requiring electricity to lift the temperature is possible. The deep geothermal solution can be designed to last 50-100 years with virtually no CO2 emissions. The solution can be connected to district energy systems, have a range of industrial applications and can be used for heat storage.

Case Study: The closed loop horizontal geothermal well solution has been implemented in a test well in Stavanger, Norway in 2024, where it was proven that the well completion works, that the continuous vacuum can be maintained and has a unique insulation effect of the heated fluid returning to surface.

Keywords: Geothermal, Closed Loop, Vacuum, Heat

The presentation will be a case study on the Charter Oak CHP Project: Ensuring grid reliability and district heating through HyAxiom Fuel Cells. Based on a Power Purchase Agreement between United Illuminating and NuPower, twenty-one (21) HyAxiom PureCell(R) Model 400 stationary fuel cells will generate 9.66MW of electricity to the grid to ensure decarbonization & resiliency. The energy facility will include a thermal loop that will recover the heat generated from the fuel cells to provide heat to district customers based on a Thermal Energy Supply Agreement. This project will be the first stationary fuel cell facility in the US to utilize a multi-story installation concept. Twenty-one (21) fuel cells will be installed on the first and second floors of the superstructure, with the cooling modules installed on the roof. Speakers: Joung-jae Kim (JJ), HyAxiom, Inc./ Topic: Energy Resiliency

Keywords: District Energy and CHP Case Studies in Cities, Communities, & Campuses

Thermal Energy Storage (aka- "Thermal Batteries) continues to advance as cost-effective solution for decarbonizing thermal energy loads traditionally dependent on fossil fuels. A key differentiator of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) is the ability to use off-peak power, when rates are lowest, and efficiently convert & store this power into useful thermal energy. This stored thermal energy can then be used, as needed, to provide either steam or hot water loads. The Wolfson Hospital is a 635 bed, multi-disciplinary medical facility. The hospital's management wanted to reduce their GHG emissions, in addition to reducing their annual energy costs. After reviewing numerous options, the hospital selected the Brenmiller patented bGEN technology to replace their aging boiler system. The final system sizing and design specified a 15 MW-hour bGEN system which now provides steam to the facility for building heat, domestic hot water, and HVAC systems. The bGEN system will reduce Carbon emissions by 3,900 tons per year, and overall GHG reduction of 95%. Since the bGEN system is charged during off-peak hours, when prices are lowest, this reduced their annual energy cost of steam production by 35%. The Wolfson Hospital finalized their agreement to procure a bGen(TM) ZERO system from Brenmiller via an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) model. bGen ZERO will replace Wolfson Hospital's old diesel boilers that are both costly and polluting. The electric heat provided via Brenmiller's bGen(TM) ZERO TES system will save Wolfson Hospital up to $1.3 million annually and reduce the hospital's local carbon footprint by 3,900 tons per year (a reduction of 95% related to building heat). "The project is expected to drive reduction in our fuel oil consumption to nearly zero," said Gadi Davidovitz, Chief Engineer at Wolfson Hospital. "It will significantly reduce emissions generated by the hospital while saving on energy costs."

Keywords: Thermal Energy Storage, Electrification, Decarbonization

In 2012, Cordia implemented Capture H2O's High Cycle Program at Energy Center San Diego. This solution is designed to reduce water consumption with minimal use of chemicals. Since adopting the program, Energy Center San Diego has saved over 10 million gallons per year, reduced city sewer and water bills by $180,000, eliminated use of sulfuric acid, and improved chiller efficiency by mitigating scaling issues.

Keywords: Cooling Tower, Water Conservation, HVAC, Reduce, $

Presentation Description: WSP has many district energy projects in countries outside the USA. This presentation will focus on lessons learned and major trends in foreign district energy systems. These lessons learned can be applied to US systems. Trends 1&2 - Consolidation and Heat Recovery - location Sweden. WSP will share a case study of combining multiple existing district energy systems together for economies of scale, avoided capital costs, and environmental sustainability. Heat recovery was used to add capacity in a sustainable way. Trend 3 - Water source heat pumps - location UK. WSP will share case studies of new water source heat pumps increasing electrification and sustainability of existing heat networks from the Olympic Village in London. Trend 4 - Electric Boilers - location Canada. WSP will share a case study of optimizing electric boiler selection and operation in an existing district energy system. Trend 5 - Heat Recovery from Data Centers - location UK. WSP will share lessons learned from confidential studies of heat recovery from data centers for district heating systems.

Case Study: Felix transmission pipeline - Sweden, sharing industrial heat Olympic Park heat network - London UK University of Western Ontario - Canada

Keywords: heat recovery, water source heat pump, electric boiler

The Zabeel District Cooling Plant serves chilled water to the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Center) chilled water network. The same network is served by one more District Cooling Plant. The Zabeel Plant is equipped with 3 number of Mitsubishi GART-350PL Chiller Pairs, each chiller pair has a capacity of 6250 Refrigeration Tons. The upstream chiller has 3350 Tons and the downstream chiller has 2900 Tons. The Plant has 3 Cooling towers, 4 number of Condenser Pumps on 3 duty with 1 standby arrangement, 4 Primary pumps on 3 duty with 1 standby arrangement and 5 Secondary chilled water pumps. The plant has 2 numbers of Thermal Energy Storage Tanks (TES). The objective of this project is to optimize the plant performance by taking advantage of the part load conditions with the use of Machine Learning (ML) techniques to enhance the efficiency of the plant. The plant has been operational since December 2021, and hence, a large amount of process data was available from the data archives. The plan was to demonstrate the savings (June 2024 to May 2025) with the Energy consumption of the previous year (June 2023 to May 2024). This is yet another project under Empower's ML/AI based optimization suite EmSMART.

The Sydney Airport Chilled Water Plant Optimization project by Exergenics and A.G. Coombs Advisory exemplifies excellence in HVAC innovation, leveraging machine learning, model predictive control, evolutionary optimization algorithms, and a purpose-built measurement and verification methodology specific to the chilled water plant. This project's success is attributed to its innovative approach, requiring no equipment upgrades or additional hardware, ensuring minimal disruption while delivering rapid implementation and measurable results. Traditional chilled water system tuning relies on manufacturer data as a proxy for optimal performance. This project significantly advances that approach by utilizing machine learning tools to determine real-time operational efficiency profiles of chillers, pumps, and cooling towers, which change over time due to wear and tear. As a result, the final control logic implemented on-site was optimized for actual field performance, rather than relying on static design parameters.

Keywords: Chilled Water Plant, Energy Efficiency, Optimization, Machine Learning, AI, CPO, Central Plant Optimization

This program, District Energy 101 (DE 101), offers an introduction to district energy systems and their evolving role in sustainable infrastructure for YPG members. Five presenters will guide attendees through key aspects of the field. The session begins with an overview of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) and the fundamentals of district energy. The second presentation will explore strategies and technologies for decarbonization within these systems. The third presenter will highlight the benefits of thermal energy storage, supported by a real-world case study. The fourth presentation will focus on power generation within district energy networks. Finally, the session will conclude with a discussion on the emerging role of nuclear energy in district energy applications. Together, these presentations will provide attendees with a foundational understanding of district energy and its potential to support low-carbon, resilient communities. 

These sessions are designed for those who are new to district energy or have not been exposed to all the facets of District Energy. There are no bad questions in this session. We hope these introductory presentations deepen your experience for IDEA 2025! 

 Agenda:
o Welcome to DE101 and announcements - Grant Kircher, Thermo Systems
o About IDEA/District Energy - Chase Davis, RMF Engineering o Decarbonization - Colin Jeffrey, Kerr Wood Leidal
o Thermal Energy Storage - Matt L'Heureux, University of New Hampshire o Ice-Break-ers - YPG 3
o Power Generation - Chase Dube, University of Texas at Austin
o Nuclear - Kevin Fox, Burns and McDonnell
o Closing - Grant Kircher, Thermo Systems

Grand Opening - 116th Annual IDEA Conference - "Aggregate, Integrate, Innovate" Introductory Remarks - Robert Thornton, IDEA President & CEO Welcome to IDEA2025 & IDEA Chair Address - Joan Kowal, IDEA Chair 2024-25, Jacobs Welcome to Minneapolis - Jacob Graff, Conference General Chair & Host, President North & West Regions, Cordia IDEA 2025 System of the Year Award - Presented by Bob Smith, IDEA Awards Chair, RMF Engineering