Public-Private Partnership

Developed as a public-private partnership, District Energy has worked closely with the City of Saint Paul, Saint Paul Port Authority, local businesses leaders, and civic partners to offer competitive energy solutions and cost-based rates that have played a critical role in development for the city.

Heating and cooling customers pay less for energy today than they did when the system started, when adjusting for inflation.

District Energy has become a showcase for energy efficiency through continued efforts to evolve, reinvent, and integrate sustainable solutions that have earned the operations a global reputation, including recognition from the United Nations Environment Programme.

Ever-Green’s Role

District Energy is the parent company to Ever-Green Energy and has contracted the Ever-Green team to provide operations and management services for the District Energy operations.

Ever-Green has built a deep knowledge of utility and energy system management from the decades of experience with this flagship system.

Ever-Green provides comprehensive operation and management services, energy engineering, and project management, as well as business operations, finance, legal, and customer and community outreach.

Milestones

• 1983 – Steam to hot water conversion complete and heating system start-up.
• 1993 – Cooling service start-up.
• 2003 – Integration of combined heat and power fueled by tree waste.
• 2011 – Integration of the first solar hot water installation connected to a district energy system in the US.
• 2015 – Launch of community education platforms – Saint Paul EcoDistrict and public art program – the Plume Project.
• 2016 – Integration of new controls systems and approach (reduced peak cooling by 30% from 2016-2018).
• 2017 – Installation of new cooling towers. Launched pilot submetering projects.
• 2018 – Launched system master planning effort to finalize coal sunset, examined reduction of system distribution temperatures, and incorporated additional renewables.
• 2019 – End of coal use. Partnered with Saint Paul Saints to host middle and high school students for the Big Idea Video Contest.
• 2020 – Committed to carbon-neutrality by 2050 along with a goal of 7% carbon reduction each year.
• 2021 – Introduced three customer tools: Customer Portal, Energy Efficiency Program, and REC agreement provides carbon-neutral cooling to all cooling customers.
• 2022 – Studied wastewater energy transfer as a potential low-carbon energy source for District Energy St. Paul. Selected to host Department of Energy funded hydrogen project with Caterpillar, Inc.