Session 1: Aggregation - Market Opportunities for District Energy + Data Centers

Session one of District Energy & Data Centers workshop contained the following presentations:

8:00 am – 8:10 am	Welcome, Agenda Overview, Level-Setting – Bruce Ander, CEO, Markham District Energy; Luke Gaalswyk, CEO, Ever-Green Energy
8:10 am – 8:40 am	Data Center Heat Export to Decarbonize Cities Using District Energy Systems - What Will It Take to Spread This to Metros In USA? – Noah Nkonge, Equinix
8:40 am – 9:10 am	Aggregating a Data Center Cluster to Support District Energy – A Case in Northern Virginia - Dale Medearis, NOVA, Northern Virginia Regional Authority
9:10 am – 9:50 am	Presenters and Group Discussion – Discussion will aim to cover the following questions: How much heat does a data center typically export? Are there rules of thumb for cooling and power considerations? Are there lessons learned connecting a data center with district energy? For instance, using return leg on district cooling system? What is the typical durable useful life of a data center? What lessons are learned from Europe on typical contractual terms? As technologies evolve, what are the expected impacts on thermal loads, & demands? Does data center heat degrade over time? Agencies, utilities, and regulators are sorting through multiple issues including economic development, regional electricity demand, capacity requirements, and impacts on rate base. How should government agencies think about co-location? What are the technical, economic or policy challenges to developing a CHP/district energy system to support a retail data center or a data center campus? How do you balance the risks/rewards and what are the business model issues? How can states/provinces/cities and regulators support the energy transition in this era of new federal policies? Codes and compliance – Are state and local building codes a help or hindrance to holistic thermal energy network solutions? This discussion will include audience Q&A

Luke Gaalswyk

CEO

Ever-Green Energy, Inc.

Luke Gaalswyk is president and CEO of Ever-Green Energy and its parent company District Energy St. Paul, a 501(c)(3) non-profit district energy company headquartered in Saint Paul, MN. Luke joined Ever-Green in 2022 as president of the organization overseeing the company’s corporate services. Prior to joining Ever-Green, Luke served in leadership roles in power generation and district energy industries with Xcel Energy and NRG Thermal (now Cordia). Luke has nearly 20 years of experience in energy, operations, and engineering and is a veteran of the United States Air Force. He currently serves on the boards of directors for the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce and Saint Paul Downtown Alliance and is a drill-status member of the Minnesota Air National Guard. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the United States Air Force Academy and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Dayton.

Bruce Ander, P. Eng.

President & CEO

Markham District Energy

Bruce Ander, P. Eng. Since 2002 Ander has held the position of President & CEO of Markham District Energy (MDE); a thermal energy utility owned by the City of Markham. MDE is recognized as a Canadian and international leader in the development of modern thermal networks providing reliable, resilient and sustainable energy to Markham’s new urban centres. Ander has spent over 40 years in Ontario’s energy sector developing community energy systems and power generating facilities. Serving as Chair of the Canadian District Energy Association (CDEA) from 2008 to 2013, Ander then lead a merger with the International District Energy Association (IDEA). Served on the IDEA Board for five years and as Chair in 2016. In 2013 MDE was the recipient of the IDEA’s System of the Year award, the highest honor the association can confer on a district energy system. In the same year, Ander was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal from the Government of Canada in recognition of the recipient’s contribution to the municipal sector in Canada. In 2024 Ander received a Clean50 award that recognizes measurable leadership in fighting climate change and helping Canada transition to a low-carbon economy.

Noah Nkonge

Senior Manager - Global Heat Export Lead

Equinix

Noah joined Equinix in 2023 with the mission to scale up heat export from their global portfolio of data centres, benefiting local communities in which they operate. He is currently developing a pipeline that includes over 50 data centre sites worldwide, ensuring that Equinix plays a leading role in enabling the energy transition globally while creating local circular economies.

He is a seasoned professional with over 15 years of experience in sustainable energy. He collaborates with individuals and organisations at the forefront of the energy transition, co-creating sustainable solutions that empower communities. Noah's expertise lies in industrial heat recovery and reuse for heat networks, where he has pioneered cross-industry waste heat partnerships in the UK to supply residual industrial heat to heat networks.