IDEA Podcasts

Ever wondered how one university district energy system can manage heating loads on two campuses, 5 miles apart?  Or how a major metropolitan cooling system can harness thermal energy storage to reduce deltaT, create customer savings, and support an overloaded electrical grid? So did we!


Join Henry Johnstone, technical advisor to IDEA’s Department of Energy project, “Best Practices in District Energy and CHP,” in conversation with Michele Bryant at Austin Energy and Scott McCord, Mike Grimstad, Jeffrey Davis and James Kochevar at the University of Minnesota to tease out these and many other fascinating questions. Both Austin Energy and the University of Minnesota have had to navigate extreme temperatures, rising energy costs, and growing customer bases, and we are excited to extend their knowledge to the larger IDEA community!

Austin Energy Podcast 
University of Minnesota Podcast



This podcast series is being produced as part of IDEA’s cooperative agreement through the US Department of Energy, Verification and Validation of Performance with Dissemination of Best Practices in District Energy and CHP for Enhanced Resiliency, Energy Efficiency.  

In addition to this podcast series, IDEA is publishing a series of webinars, District Energy Magazine articles, and a final report on the study findings in the first half of 2024. Interested in a sneak-peak of the findings? Visit https://www.districtenergy.org/doebestpractices/home and explore the interactive maps of best practices, collected case studies, and the Thermal Energy Storage Handbook!

You can also catch up on our 4-part “Project Life Cycle” Webinar series (there’s still time to register for Part 4!) and the Geothermal Symposium.