Webinar - The Institutional Market and the Value It Presents to the ESCO Industry

Description

The institutional Market specifically PreK to 12 Schools are the second largest public infrastructure investment in the US and are one of the biggest energy consumers in the public sector. This presentation will focus on the opportunities this demographic presents along with the changes in tax code which allows for 3rd party ownership of commercial geothermal systems.

Learning objective:

1.The value of the PreK to 12 School Market to the ESCO Industry

2. Hol,V geothermal heat pump technology can be the Catalyst for success

3.What loop ownership really means to profitability

4.How to pick the right team for the project

Speaker

John (Jack) P. Dienna, Jr., Executive Director, Geothermal National & International Initiative (GEONII)

Mr. DiEnna, the Executive Director & Founder of the Geothermal National & International Initiative (GEO-NII) is a business development and marketing professional with over fifty years combined experience in the electric utility industry and the geothermal industry. He is a nationally recognized authority on all aspects of renewable technology and specifically geothermal heat pumps (GHP), including marketing, creative financing, and the resulting positive economic and environmental impact that can be derived from the use of geothermal heat pump technology. His expertise is internationally acknowledged as a valued resource by not only the geothermal heat pump industry but also by government officials, both national and international, Utilities, trade allies, and all major market segment associations in the promotion of geothermal heat pump technology.

Mr. DiEnna has been awarded the title of Ambassador of the industry by the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA) where he has been a member for over 30 years and now serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He was the driving force in the creation and development of the Certified GeoExchange Designer (CGD) certification, a training program for design professionals in GHP Technology, that has become the gold standard both nationally and internationally.

Mr DiEnna is the originator of the “Anchor Tenant” concept for networked geothermal systems installing the ground loop heat exchanger in K to 12 schools’ fields, parking lots etc. and branching out to the surrounding community from that location.

Mr. DiEnna was appointed to the US Department of Energy’s Geothermal Visionary team whose purpose is to analyze the potential for geothermal energy, including geothermal heat pump applications across multiple market sectors.  

Mr. DiEnna is also a member of the American/Canadian Bi National GHP Standards Committee, and he is also a founding member of the New York Geo Association and the Pennsylvania Geothermal Association, where he is the Executive VP. Mr. DiEnna is also a member of the CA Geo Association.

Mr. DiEnna is also a National Partner in the Department of Energy’s Zero Energy Schools Accelerator project.

Mr. DiEnna is the originator of the “Road to 30%”, a program designed to increase the GHP industry to a 30% share of the HVAC market. Mr. DiEnna is involved in approximately 30% of all commercial geothermal heat pump projects in North America and consults to numerous companies and trade associations. His vision is to eliminate the “high first cost” barrier, of GHP technology, through participation by Utilities and other third-party owners of the ground loop heat exchanger.

As an example of this vision, on September 11th, 2013 Mr. DiEnna and New York Public Service Commissioner Acampora began a discussion with New York American Water to use their water system as the medium for geothermal heating and cooling for a school in their service territory. This innovative project, which was completed in January of 2015, will save the school district thousands of dollars in energy costs, increase security in the school and provide a stable comfortable learning environment for the students. 

Mr. DiEnna has participated in developing Renewable Portfolio Standards in over 10 States.

Mr. DiEnna is also the originator and developer of the R.I.D.E. program which is an acronym for Register, Inspect, Document and Evaluate. This program will capture the metrics of a geothermal heat pump system, giving information on where the system is installed, who installed it, what was promised and has it met expectations. This information is critical when the thermal value of a GHP system is recognized in a State’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) or a utilities EE/RE program.

In January of 2010, Mr. DiEnna, working under a contract to the Department of Energy, through Oak Ridge National Laboratory, developed a trade mission to India in support of the GHP Industry. While there he established an Indian Chapter of the International Ground Source Heat Pump Association (IGSHPA). He returned to India in 2011 to deliver geothermal heat pump training to 20 industry professionals. He has continued to work with DOE & ORNL on the development of a sustainable infrastructure, through training, to support the advancement of GHP technology in India and conducted Certified GeoExchange Designer (CGD) training for design professionals in September, of 2012 as the next step in infrastructure development.

Mr. DiEnna is serving on the Department of Energy’s Geothermal Visionary Board that peer reviews projects nationally and internationally. Mr. DiEnna was awarded the “Legend in Energy” distinction by the Association of Energy Engineers for his work with renewables and specifically geothermal heat pump technology.

Mr. DiEnna has also worked with the US Commerce Department to assist them in their negotiations for an environmental goods agreement within the World Trade Organization that would liberalize tariffs on climate change addressing products and services such as geothermal heat pumps.

In 2006, Mr. DiEnna was appointed by the Secretary of Energy, to serve as a member of the Federal Energy Management Advisory Committee (FEMAC), representing renewable energy. FEMAC was formed to advise the Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) on defining strategy for meeting their mandates and objectives.

He was responsible for the implementation of numerous geothermal heat pump projects for the Department of Defense. In 2007 he was appointed to the Asian Pacific Partnership (APP) on the Renewable Energy & Building Efficiency task forces and is currently working with them to promote the increased use of renewable technology in China, India and Australia. He has also worked with the Federal Ministry for the Environment of the German Government on the increased use of renewable technology.

Mr. DiEnna worked with the NYC Council Environmental Protection Committee to compose legislation for the expansion of geothermal heat pump technology in the five-borough area signed into law by Mayor Bloomberg. Mr. DiEnna is currently working with the NY Public Service Commission (PSC) for the adoption of ghp technology, as a renewable thermal asset technology in the NY RPS mandate.

Previously, as Director of the Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, a group formed by the Clinton Administration and supported by the Bush Administration, Mr. DiEnna was responsible for the development and implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding with numerous Federal, State and Local government agencies and Utility membership retention. He was also a Director of the Federal Energy Management Committee under both Administrations with responsibility of advising FEMP on any geothermal initiatives undertaken at DOD.

He also developed the State, as well as the Federal Schools Initiative Program which promoted ground source energy technologies at the State Department of Education level.

Mr. DiEnna was responsible for the multi-year, million dollar contract, with NYSERDA, to promote renewable energy technologies in New York State. He has spearheaded state-wide projects in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Illinois and New Jersey.

Mr. DiEnna is Currently President of the Board of Directors of the Community Action Agency of Delaware County (CAADC) and has served on that Board since 1985. The Mission of CAADC and its affiliate corporations and partnerships are to assist residents to move toward economic self-sufficiency and to strengthen the community through innovative approaches to programs including housing, workforce development, energy conservation, social services and community and economic development. They operate 4 shelters for the homeless and strive to take their clients from total dependency to total self-sufficiency.

Mr. DiEnna previously was the business development director of Energy    Performance Services (EPS) a wholly owned Energy Services Company of Philadelphia Electric Company and was instrumental in securing the partnership that delivered geothermal heat pump technology to both Fort Polk and Fort Erwin. This Company was formed when Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO) purchased Energy Performance Services and combined it with HEATAC a design build geothermal heat pump company.

Mr. DiEnna was also the managing director of business development for HEATAC and part of the pioneering team that developed the third-party ownership of the geothermal systems. Mr. DiEnna was instrumental in making HEATAC into the largest design build firm for geothermal systems in the US.