As president of the International District Energy Association (IDEA) Robert Thornton has a busy schedule raising the profile of the sector globally, Utilities Middle East caught up with him at the IDEA Middle East Chapter conference, which was held in Dubai in October.
Robert Thornton has 30 years of experience in the industry. He first became interested energy back in 1978 when he needed a summer job and got an internship at an energy policy information centre in Boston while he was a student at Tufts University.
“I studied the greenhouse effect back then and it was like an epiphany,” he says, “I feel every strongly that we have a stewardship obligation, as it was clear even then that energy use in the US was in great need of improvement and global warming was a real problem based on the research I was doing. It got me interested in solar, in geothermal and lead me to district cooling, which I have now been in for almost 30 years.”
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Thornton believes that events such as the Dubai conference are vital forum for an open exchange of ideas. “The district cooling industry is very much a two-way exchange. We are trying to get best practices and some of the things that are going on in the Middle East are unique. What we have here is construction taking place in an extreme climate, there is sand, the size of the plants in the region are often much bigger than those in the United States, and there is also the size of Greenfield developments.”
“The whole premise of IDEA is that it is not a one way conversation but instead we are pulling people together to hear what their experiences are so we can arrive at best practice. We have been doing this now for 100 years and it is very much a two-way learning effort,” he says.”
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“A lot of people say that this is the best conference they attend. If you are in this industry, the best minds are here, it is not theoretical but it is actually practical, everyone takes something of great value from here, as there is nothing like talking to someone who understands the type of problem you have and talking you through it. Our members are some of the best and the brightest in the field, but they are very busy people so we respect that we need to deliver high quality content – we are an optimistic event,” says Thornton.
“We are not a huge conference but what is the case is that the people you meet here are interested in what you have to sell. We have buyers who are keen for solutions and we find that our members tend to want to do business with other IDEA associates,” points out Thornton.
The lack of power in the region is a concern, says Thornton. “For some of our members it’s the number one issue as electricity supply to plants impacts on business and the ability to serve customers. As to how to best address that, it could as part of a united effort with DEWA or by exploring alternatives such as gas-fired or combined heat and power making plants, which are more hybrid in nature and not so reliant on electricity providers. It is also important to maintain a conversation with end users. Keeping up with electricity demand is a daunting challenge for anyone, we’re not interested in pointing fingers but in identifying problems and finding solutions.”
Another issue facing the industry is water and how to conserve potable water, how the district cooling industry can adapt to design systems that are sustainable and respectful of resource allocation challenges, such as sea water.
Thornton believes that there is growing scope for the district cooling industry to use grey water.
“By aggregating the thermal loads of dozens of buildings you arrive at a scale where some of these technologies make commercial sense, as incremental cost is spread over a volume of users. This is the essence of district energy. But there is no single bullet, no single solution. All alternatives have to be evaluated in their specific location,” Thornton is keen to stress.
Despite the economic slowdown and the ongoing credit crunch, Thornton believes that the sector will continue to exhibit strong growth in the region over the next couple of years. “It is still growing strong. In some areas projects are well under way. Speaking to some of our members it is clear that if there is a bit of a slowdown it might even be a welcome event. There has been a frenzied pace in the sector in the past couple of years and a bit of softening might not be a bad thing, but the district cooling sector remains very vibrant.”
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Outside the region, Thornton says that the debate over policy has meant that the industry has had a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent months. “Sometimes the momentum is very strong, we have seen real activity on climate change in the US, the green movement is the grass roots but most people now understand global warming. But no way are we satisfied. And if we have an Obama administration it is likely that it will put green energy to the top of the agenda and that will encourage investment in the district cooling industry.”
Looking specifically at MENA, Thornton is equally upbeat. “District cooling in the Middle East is very important. I applaud the government and utilities around the region as they have come to see the benefits of district cooling. More than in many regions they are putting the necessary infrastructure in place. There are some measures that would improve the situation. There could be more consideration to electric rate design, to use real time pricing as in the US, but that is perhaps reflective of a more mature market. It is something that could occur in the Middle East over time,” Thornton believes.
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“In the US, we have seen the advantage of thermal storage. For example in Chicago they make ice at night when rates are low. Electric utilities look at demand as bad cholesterol and don’t want to fuel switch so district cooling is a very beneficial investment to the electric industry,” he adds.
Overall, Thornton is very impressed by the pace of growth in district cooling in the UAE. “We are pleased to be working in an environment that is so vibrant and open. The government is showing leadership in looking for greener standards and greater efficiency. Dubai is unique in terms of the scale and pace of development and we think that the investments in district cooling here will pay dividends over time,” he says.
Thornton has also been instrumental in helping to launch the district cooling handbook, a how-to guide for the industry. “It is not a book to help you select pipe diameters or other standards but it is more a compilation of best practices. It is largely based on conditions in the Middle East but it is not specific to the Middle East and could equally be used for district cooling in Phoenix, Baltimore, Hamburg or Paris,” he says.
The International District Energy Association (IDEA) was formed in the USA in 1909 as a non-profit trade association for the district energy industry. The Middle East Chapter of IDEA is based in Abu Dhabi and led by Rita Chahoud, PR and communications manager of district cooling specialist Tabreed.
