Proven resilience

摘要

On Nov. 23, 2018, the Fourth National Climate Assessment was released by the U.S. government. Chronicling the real and projected impacts of climate change, the report includes dire warnings about the increase in extreme weather events and the concern that existing infrastructure will not be able to meet the demands of a climate in crisis. This will resuLt not just in repair costs but also lost business costs when municipalities experience power failures. The modern district energy industry in North America has been providing solutions to these infrastructure concerns for decades. Any professional in the district energy business can rattle off the benefits of these systems with impressive speed: resilient systems that are better able to withstand extreme weather, potential for lower greenhouse gas emissions, potential for carbon-neutraL power generation, local job creation, control over energy rates, and on and on. But we don't have to just tell interested parties about these benefits; we can also point to systems across North America that have proven to be capable in the face of extreme weather.