New President and CEO – The Wave – September 2024

New President and CEO named to District Energy St. Paul

District Energy St. Paul has announced that current Ever-Green Energy President and CEO Luke Gaalswyk will also become president and CEO of its parent company, District Energy St. Paul. Luke was brought on as president of Ever-Green Energy in September 2022 after a national search as the first step in outgoing President and CEO Ken Smith’s succession plan. He will transition into both roles effective October 1, 2024. Ken, who has served as president and CEO of both organizations since 2010, will stay on as a senior adviser through fall 2025.

“Ken’s transparent and collaborative leadership style and his ability to innovate have been key drivers for our growth over the last decade,” said Heidi Conrad, board chair of District Energy St. Paul and board member of Ever-Green Energy. “The transition to new leadership has been elegant, and we are thrilled to have Luke take the helm, who brings that same drive and vision to our missions.”

Ken is a globally recognized trailblazer in community-scale energy systems and is a dedicated community leader who has invested in the wellbeing and economic growth of Saint Paul throughout his career. District Energy has significantly reduced its carbon emissions under Ken’s leadership, officially eliminating the use of coal in 2019 while implementing system advancements and maintaining stability and steady growth throughout. Ken was also named one of the Twin Cities most admired CEOs in 2024.

Luke brings extensive experience to his new role. Prior to joining Ever-Green Energy, he served as vice president and Midwest regional general manager at Clearway Community Energy where he was responsible for leading its district energy businesses in both Minneapolis and Omaha. He holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Dayton and a Bachelor of Science from the United States Air Force Academy.

Read full press release.

A Note From our Team

District Energy Saint Paul has had a dynamic year, with significant media attention on district energy and geothermal innovations. Last year, we initiated our hydrogen demonstration project in collaboration with Caterpillar, the Department of Energy, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. This project is now fully underway with fuel testing taking place later this fall. Additionally, District Energy supported The Heights Community Energy in securing the first-ever MnCIFA loan for the development’s geothermal heating and cooling system, in partnership with the City of Saint Paul and the Saint Paul Port Authority. As more companies, developments, and communities consider the adoption of district energy technology, our community energy system will continue to be a model for the nation.

Construction is a key consideration for everyone in Saint Paul. We aim to be fully transparent about our projects and help you understand upcoming developments so you can prepare accordingly. There is extensive construction around the new bus rapid transit and downtown street upgrade projects, and while we are involved, we have received positive feedback about our efforts to minimize disruptions and quickly complete our pieces of the work in the streets. In the newsletter you will hear from Gerry Gubash, Distribution Services Manager, who has provided an update on recently completed, current, and future system projects. We encourage you to read more about what you and your businesses can expect from District Energy construction.

I also want to personally thank everyone who participated in the 2024 Customer Survey. We appreciate the positive and constructive feedback. This valuable input will help us enhance our service model to better meet your needs.

As always, we are here to answer any questions and offer support. Please reach out to us at 651-297-8955 or info@districtenergy.com.

Sincerely,
Steve Rambeck
Director of Business Development

District Energy at the St. Paul Saints Game

District Energy recently made an appearance at the St. Paul Saints game, handing out sunglasses to community members. It was fantastic to see so many Saint Paul residents enjoying the game and to have the opportunity to discuss District Energy’s role in heating and cooling the team’s operations.

As the sustainability partner for the Saints and CHS Field, District Energy supports the ballpark’s commitment to environmental responsibility. CHS Field features innovative practices such as rainwater filtration, graywater reuse, and solar PV, as well as sustainable initiatives like recycling, composting, and the use of eco-friendly cleaning products.

District Energy provides reliable and renewable energy to the ballpark and shares educational information about our system. We are proud to contribute to the sustainable practices that make CHS Field the greenest ballpark in the country.

Progress and Future Plans for Distribution Projects in Saint Paul

At District Energy, we understand that our customers and the community are greatly impacted by the ongoing construction in the streets of downtown Saint Paul. We prioritize being efficient and proactive in our approach to road closures and construction. As an integral part of the downtown construction efforts, we aim to help our customers better understand our role and plans, mitigating the inconvenience of construction as much as possible. The reason we undertake these projects in the summer is to ensure a robust and reliable system for the winter. We are excited to share updates on some significant projects we have recently completed, ongoing endeavors, and our future plans.

In mid-July, we successfully completed the Robert Street project. This total reconstruction project, managed by the city, was a precursor to work that will be done next year. Between 4th and 6th Street, we took advantage of the existing construction to rebuild a hot water vault. This three-phase project spanned three months, allowing us to make essential upgrades to the system. These upgrades will reduce yearly maintenance needs, further enhancing the efficiency and reliability of our services.

As we move forward with the remainder of the summer, we are expanding our pipeline to support the state office building renovation project on University and Rice Street. While the current building is already a District Energy hot water customer, the newly renovated portion of the building will also be connected and include some pipe replacements. The pipe replacement project on University Avenue (Park Street to Rice Street) started on July 29, and has about two more weeks of construction remaining. This initiative involved removing older pipes and installing new pipe with improved joint kits. Our team is committed to keeping this project organized and minimizing disruption. Proactively replacing pipe prevents unplanned outages and helps provide better service for our customers.

Looking ahead to the future, we are beginning preparatory work for the Mt. Airy Home community. We will select a section for a pipeline replacement project and add isolation valves to that segment of our network in preparation for next year. This project will utilize FibreFlex Pro, a Kevlar coated PEX pipe for the first time. Adding the Kevlar coating increases the pressure and temperature ratings on the PEX pipe and reduces the number of joints in the ground which in turn reduces future maintenance tasks.

We are deeply grateful to our customers and the community for your patience and flexibility amid the downtown construction. We acknowledge the impact it has on your daily lives and work. Maintaining our system is important, and the District Energy team is committed to proactive maintenance to ease this burden. Our goal is to provide a reliable and efficient energy system that serves our community well, now and in the future.

Welcome Minnesota Museum of American Art

District Energy is excited to welcome a new customer to our heating system: the Minnesota Museum of American Art commonly known as “The M.” While the building has been using our chilled water for cooling since 2013, we have now installed a new metering point to supply heating to the building.

Located in the Historic Pioneer Endicott building, The M is the city’s only art museum. It houses a collection of more than 5,000 artworks that capture the unique voices of American artists from the 19th century to the present. The museum is dedicated to reflecting the ever-evolving American experience through art, celebrating both historic and contemporary voices, including those from communities of color and immigrant backgrounds.

The M is renowned for its commitment to community partnerships and a co-curation model, focusing on living Minnesotan artists alongside its extensive collection.

We encourage you to visit their new exhibition, HILO DE LA SANGRE (THREAD OF THE BLOOD), presented by the Nancy and John Lindahl Gallery. Running from July 11 to December 1, 2024, this exhibition features fifteen Latine visual artists from across the diaspora, exploring the significance of blood as a material foundation of life, a carrier of complex lineages, a signal of violence and death, and a cultural and spiritual symbol of sacrifice and atonement.

The M is a wonderful resource for our community, and we are thrilled to support their heating needs. For more information about their exhibitions and programs, please visit their website at mmaa.org.

Honoring George Latimer, District Energy St. Paul’s Original Champion

The District Energy St. Paul team members join the community in paying tribute to former Saint Paul Mayor George Latimer. Mayor George Latimer was District Energy’s original local champion. We continue to see his lesson in our work today, that for large-scale or transformative projects to succeed, the community needs visionary leaders who will continue to drive toward a vision through every step in the process and navigate all of the ups and downs. He believed in district energy, and he never gave up.