Campus & District Energy
Campus and district energy systems enhance energy efficiency, resilience and sustainability. By centralizing energy generation and distribution, these integrated systems deliver reduced operational costs through economies of scale, improved energy resilience against grid outages and a significantly lower carbon footprint than conventional utilities. A holistic district energy strategy empowers organizations to take greater control over their utility infrastructure future, creating a more sustainable and economically sound operating environment.
Why Campus & District Energy Systems Matter
Campus and district energy solutions provide advantages in cost and scalability. Aggregating demand allows investment in larger, more efficient technologies that would be financially infeasible when serving individual buildings. This provides a more stable and predictable energy cost. These systems are inherently scalable. The district infrastructure can be expanded to meet the demand of a growing campus without requiring an overhaul of individual building systems.
Resilient power is critical for many facilities. Campus and district energy systems provide reliable and secure energy supply even during grid outages, often functioning as autonomous microgrids that can island from the main electrical grid in the event of a power outage. Microgrids are critical for facilities like hospitals, research centers and military bases, where an uninterrupted power supply is essential.
The Burns & McDonnell Advantage
We provide planning, design and construction services for district energy and distributed energy resources (DER) solutions for campus, institutional and industrial sites. By thoroughly evaluating sites’ energy needs, goals and constraints, we develop effective and resilient utility solutions. We understand the complexities inherent in integrating district energy and DER solutions and have experience navigating these projects to successful outcomes. Our team includes economic and financial analysts and power system planners who evaluate potential impacts on ratepayers, communities and system loads.
Our analyses help system owners make informed utility decisions that support growth, enhance resiliency and align with long-term clean energy goals and objectives.
Advancing Clean Energy Solutions Through Integrated Energy
The ability to integrate a diverse portfolio of scalable and low-carbon technologies to advance sustainability goals is a key advantage gained through the implementation of campus and district energy systems. They can incorporate a range of renewable and high-efficiency energy sources that would be impractical on a building-by-building basis — solar, geothermal and biomass energy, as well as capturing energy from waste heat using chillers, gas turbines or other industrial processes. As emerging technologies continue to reach the market, they can be integrated into the district energy systems to allow connected buildings to benefit and make measurable gains toward campus carbon reduction initiatives.
