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Mon, Feb 16
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Fri, Feb 20
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Wednesday, February 18, 2026
7:00 AM - 7:45 AM
EST
Speaker & Moderator Orientation
7:00 AM - 7:45 AM
EST
Wed Orientation - Speaker & Moderator Orientation
Location: Chesapeake 7-9
7:00 AM - 7:50 AM
EST
Breakfast with Business Partner Exhibitors
7:00 AM - 7:50 AM
EST
Breakfast with Business Partner Exhibitors
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
EST
Registration Open
7:00 AM - 6:45 PM
EST
Registration Open
Location: Potomac Registration Desk
8:00 AM - 8:25 AM
EST
Conference Opening
8:00 AM - 8:25 AM
EST
Conference Opening
8:30 AM - 9:55 AM
EST
Opening Plenary Panel: Advancing Thermal Networks
8:30 AM - 9:55 AM
EST
Opening Plenary Panel: Advancing Thermal Networks
Panelist:
Casey Collins
– Duke University
Panelist:
Paul A. Kempf, PE (he/him/his)
– University of Notre Dame
Panelist:
Tess McNamara
– The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
Panelist:
Christopher Potter
– Architect of the Capitol
Panelist:
Mary Quintana, MSc, MES, CEM, CMVP, LEED Green Assoc
– Brock University
Panelist:
Shantell Utton
– University of Wyoming
Panelist:
David L. Woodson, MBA, FMA, CEFP (he/him/his)
– University of Washington
Moderator:
Robert P. Thornton (he/him/his)
– International District Energy Association (IDEA)
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
EST
Poster Presentations
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
EST
Poster Presentations
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
EST
Refreshment Break with Business Partner Exhibitors
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
EST
Refreshment Break with Business Partner Exhibitors
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1A: Campus Geo at Scale
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1A - Campus Geo at Scale
Location: Potomac 1-3
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1A 1 - Geothermal at Scale: Yale University's Path to Net Zero through Design Innovation and Campus Integration
Location: Potomac 1-3
Co-Presenter:
Sam Olmstead, P.E (he/him/his)
– Yale University
Presenter:
Dave Hermantin, P.E, CGD
– Brightcore Energy
Geothermal, Geo-Exchange, and Networked Geo
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1A 2 - Estimating Geothermal Borefield Capacity Using Operating Data from Boston University's Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences
Location: Potomac 1-3
Presenter:
John R. Kastrinos, PG (he/him/his)
– Haley & Aldrich, Inc.
Co-Presenter:
Dennis Carlberg, AIA LEED AP
– Boston University
Co-Presenter:
Jacob Knowles
– BR+A Consulting Engineers
Geothermal, Geo-Exchange, and Networked Geo
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1A 3 - Seasonal Thermal Banking: Leveraging BTES to Store and Reuse Campus Waste Heat
Location: Potomac 1-3
Presenter:
Saranya Anbarasu, PhD (she/her/hers)
– Jacobs
Geothermal, Geo-Exchange, and Networked Geo
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1B: Business Models & Financing
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1B - Business Models & Financing
Location: Potomac 4-6
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1B 1 - Sparking Innovation to Deliver Transformative Value for an Aging Campus
Location: Potomac 4-6
Co-Presenter:
Mary Quintana, MSc, MES, CEM, CMVP, LEED Green Assoc
– Brock University
Co-Presenter:
Scott Johnstone
– Brock University
Co-Presenter:
Drew Cullen
– Brock University
Business models and financing strategies
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1B 2 - Employee Perspective and Actual Experience of Transitioning from the University to 3rd Party
Location: Potomac 4-6
Presenter:
Tatjana Zunjic
– CenTrio
Co-Presenter:
Nathan Prior
– CenTrio
Business models and financing strategies
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1B 3 - Utilizing Commodity Risk Management Techniques To Optimize Campus Energy Procurement
Location: Potomac 4-6
Presenter:
Bryant Lee
– Siemens
Business models and financing strategies
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1C: Data Centers as Heat Sources
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1C - Data Centers as Heat Sources
Location: Potomac C
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1C 1 - Absorbing future for district and data center cooling with Absorption Chillers
Location: Potomac C
Presenter:
Dmitrij Gorlovsky (he/him/his)
– Johnson Controls Systems & Service GmbH
Co-Presenter:
Rajesh P Dixit
– Johnson Controls
Data Centers and District Energy
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1C 2 - Data Center Greenfields - Supporting Heat Districts in New Development
Location: Potomac C
Presenter:
Jamison A. Caldwell, PE, LEED AP
– SmithGroup
Co-Presenter:
Joe Imparato
– Critical Development Group
Data Centers and District Energy
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1C 3 - Turning Heat into Hope: How the University at Buffalo is Decarbonizing its Campus with AI Waste Energy
Location: Potomac C
Presenter:
Jason Denue, PE, REP (he/him/his)
– Wendel Companies
Co-Presenter:
Tonga Pham (she/her/hers)
– University at Buffalo
Co-Presenter:
Ryan A. McPherson, JD (he/him/his)
– University at Buffalo
Heat Pumps, Energy Sharing and Energy Recovery
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1D: Runways to Resilience: Decarbonizing Airport Energy Systems
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1D - Runways to Resilience: Decarbonizing Airport Energy Systems
Location: Potomac D
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1D 1 - Airport Microgrids Enhancing Energy Resilience and Meeting Clean Energy Goals: A Case Study at BWI Airport
Location: Potomac D
Presenter:
Sean Casey, CEM ENV SP LEED AP
– AECOM
Co-Presenter:
Katie Peige, MSUS
– Maryland Aviation Administration
Microgrids & CHP for Reliability and Resiliency
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1D 2 - New Electrified Central Utility Plant Takes Flight at DFW International Airport
Location: Potomac D
Presenter:
Quindi Guiseppe, PE, CEM
– Syska Hennessy Group
Co-Presenter:
Taylor Hollings, PE, CEM
– Syska Hennessy Group
Heat Pumps, Energy Sharing and Energy Recovery
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1D 3 - Path to Net Zero: Decarbonizing SEA Airport’s Central Mechanical Plant
Location: Potomac D
Presenter:
Kenton Phillips, PE, BEMP, WELL AP
– AECOM
Co-Presenter:
Joe Cook, PE
– Port of Seattle - SEA Airport
De-carbonizing with District Energy
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1E: Nuclear Innovation for Campus and District Decarbonization
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1E - Nuclear Innovation for Campus and District Decarbonization
Location: Cherry Blossom
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1E 1 - Next Generation Nuclear Siting Assessment for Urban and Rural University Research
Location: Cherry Blossom
Presenter:
Bryce G. Johnson, n/a
– IMEG
Co-Presenter:
Dan Buman
– Nebraska Public Power District
Nuclear and District Energy
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1E 2 - Small Modular Reactors and Their Role in Clean, Reliable Energy
Location: Cherry Blossom
Presenter:
Scott Koehler, Professional Engineer
– Olsson
Co-Presenter:
Justin Sink
– Natura Resources LLC
Co-Presenter:
Luke Rice
– Last Energy
Nuclear and District Energy
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1E 3 - Integrating SMR's with Thermal Energy Storage (TES) for campus decarbonization
Location: Cherry Blossom
Presenter:
Jim Koontz, MBA, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. BSME, Norwich University
– Rock Energy Storage
Co-Presenter:
Logan D. Williams, PhD (he/him/his)
– Idaho National Laboratory
Nuclear and District Energy
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1F: Heat Pumps in Practice
10:45 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1F - Heat Pumps in Practice
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
10:45 AM - 11:10 AM
EST
1F 1 - Maximizing Energy Efficiency with Heat Pumps and District Energy
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
Presenter:
Kevin Hagerty
– Vicinity Energy
Heat Pumps, Energy Sharing and Energy Recovery
11:15 AM - 11:40 AM
EST
1F 2 - Observations In Operating a Geoexchange Facility
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
Presenter:
David Weis, PE
– Princeton University
Heat Pumps, Energy Sharing and Energy Recovery
11:40 AM - 12:10 PM
EST
1F 3 - Electrifying Campus Hot Water System with Large Heat Pump Chillers
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
Presenter:
Morgan Hartman
– Trane
Co-Presenter:
Dan Gentry
– Trane
De-carbonizing with District Energy
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM
EST
Wednesday Lunch
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM
EST
Wednesday Lunch
Location: Potomac AB
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
Dessert and Coffee with Business Partner Exhibitors
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
Dessert and Coffee with Business Partner Exhibitors
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
District Energy Women's Initiative Meetup
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
District Energy Women's Initiative Meetup
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
1:45 PM - 2:25 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2A: Enabling the Field: Deep Geo & Trenchless Delivery
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2A - Enabling the Field: Deep Geo & Trenchless Delivery
Location: Potomac 1-3
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2A 1 - Exploring Campus Decarbonization Utilizing Geo-Exchange and Deep Geothermal Solutions
Location: Potomac 1-3
Presenter:
Mike Turman, MBA, LEED-AP
– University of Colorado Boulder
Co-Presenter:
Neil Ethier
– Eavor Technologies Inc.
Co-Presenter:
Brian Lindoerfer
– University of Colorado Boulder
Co-Presenter:
Jeff Elsner, PE
– the RMH group
Geothermal, Geo-Exchange, and Networked Geo
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2A 2 - Horizontal Directional Drilling for Remote Geofield Location
Location: Potomac 1-3
Presenter:
Tim Peer, PE
– BOND
Co-Presenter:
Colin Harris
– BOND
Co-Presenter:
Jim Velleman, PE, LEED AP
– Salas O'Brien
Co-Presenter:
Eric Beattie, PE, LEED AP
– Smith College
Geothermal, Geo-Exchange, and Networked Geo
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2B: Ops Driven Decarbonization
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2B - Ops Driven Decarbonization
Location: Potomac 4-6
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2B 1 - How to use the “Minnesota Goodbye” as an advantage: Real-world application- Decarbonizing through daily operations and normal processes
Location: Potomac 4-6
Presenter:
Maram Falk, n/a
– University of Minnesota
Co-Presenter:
Scott McCord, P.E.
– University of Minnesota
De-carbonizing with District Energy
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2B 2 - Impactful Campus Decarbonization With District Steam
Location: Potomac 4-6
Presenter:
Chad Helland, n/a
– HGA
Co-Presenter:
Brendan Huss, PE (he/him/his)
– HGA
Heat Pumps, Energy Sharing and Energy Recovery
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2C: Resilience by Renewal: Backup Fuel & Distribution Upgrades
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2C - Resilience by Renewal: Backup Fuel & Distribution Upgrades
Location: Potomac C
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2C 1 - Backing Up District Energy Systems: Fuel Oil Tank Replacements in Washington DC and Beyond
Location: Potomac C
Presenter:
Steven R. Buckler, PE
– RMF Engineering, Inc.
Co-Presenter:
Stephanie Parent, PE (she/her/hers)
– Architect of the Capitol
System Expansion, Modernization and Renewal
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2C 2 - Energy, Cost and Maintenance Consideration of Distribution System Alternatives for Highly Reliable Steam Providers
Location: Potomac C
Presenter:
Laura Duncan
– Gilsulate International, Inc.
Co-Presenter:
Mark Geronime, PE (he/him/his)
– Milwaukee Regional Medical Center
Co-Presenter:
Patrick Walsh, n/a
– EagleHawk One Inc.
System Expansion, Modernization and Renewal
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2D: Funding Campus Energy Transformation: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2D - Funding Campus Energy Transformation: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships
Location: Potomac D
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2D 1 - Enhancing University Sustainability Through Public-Private Partnership Strategies in District Energy Systems
Location: Potomac D
Co-Presenter:
Stephen Auton-Smith
– Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors, LLC
Co-Presenter:
Stephen Hill
– Keybanc Capital Markets
Co-Presenter:
Kevin Fox, PE
– Burns & McDonnell
Business models and financing strategies
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2D 2 - Banking on Tomorrow: Funding the Future of Central Plants
Location: Potomac D
Presenter:
Russell Garcia, Ed.D
– Johnson Controls
De-carbonizing with District Energy
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2E: Cyber-Resilient Controls for Critical Energy Infrastructure
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2E - Cyber-Resilient Controls for Critical Energy Infrastructure
Location: Cherry Blossom
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2E 1 - Managing Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities in Operational Technology Networks for District Energy Systems
Location: Cherry Blossom
Presenter:
Dana Kline, MBA, CISSP (he/him/his)
– Cordia
Cybersecurity
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2E 2 - From Foundation to Modernization: A Control System Journey at FDA’s Central Utility Plant
Location: Cherry Blossom
Presenter:
Austin Lazo, EIT
– Thermo Systems
Co-Presenter:
Kevin Battick, CPEM
– Thermo Systems
System Expansion, Modernization and Renewal
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2F: Standards, Risk, and Resilience in Next-Generation Campus Energy Systems
2:30 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2F - Standards, Risk, and Resilience in Next-Generation Campus Energy Systems
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
2:30 PM - 2:55 PM
EST
2F 1 - Climate Risk Science & District Energy
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
Co-Presenter:
Darrel Tremaine, PhD (he/him/his)
– CenTrio
Master Planning and Climate Action Plans
3:00 PM - 3:25 PM
EST
2F 2 - ASHRAE Standards Update: Advancing Decarbonization in Campus Energy Systems
Location: Chesapeake 4-6
Presenter:
Blake Ellis, PE, FASHRAE, MCIBSE, LEED AP, CDP
– Burns & McDonnell
Master Planning and Climate Action Plans
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
EST
Refreshment Break with Business Partner Exhibitors
3:30 PM - 4:10 PM
EST
Refreshment Break with Business Partner Exhibitors
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
EST
Global District Energy Climate Awards
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
EST
3A - Global District Energy Climate Awards
Location: Potomac AB
Moderator:
Aksana Krasatsenka
– Euroheat & Power
Moderator:
Robert P. Thornton (he/him/his)
– International District Energy Association (IDEA)
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Cocktail Reception with Business Partner Exhibitors
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Cocktail Reception with Business Partner Exhibitors
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Poster Presentations
Location: Prince George's Exhibit Hall
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Young Professionals Group (YPG) Networking Meeting
5:15 PM - 6:45 PM
EST
Young Professionals Group (YPG) Networking Meeting
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