Rob Thornton

A Practical Path to Heat Reuse: Linking Data Centers to District Heating Networks

District energy systems can recycle data center waste heat to advance community energy efficiency, writes Rob Thornton of IDEA

Rob Thornton

June 8, 2026

By connecting data center waste heat to district heating networks, operators and cities can transform an environmental challenge into a community resource.

Decarbonizing Without Disruption: A Practical Path to Building Performance Standards Compliance

New regulations spark innovation in urban energy sharing, cutting carbon and complexity

Rob Thornton

August 4, 2025

As building owners race to meet tough new climate rules, costly retrofits aren’t the only answer. District energy systems offer a streamlined, scalable approach to slashing emissions – all while minimizing disruption and protecting property value, ES NEWS' Guest Columnist Rob Thornton writes.

Heating and Cooling the Communities of the Future – Geothermal, Geo-exchange and District Energy

Rob Thornton

December 20, 2024

The journey to net zero begins underground.

On Demand As AI workloads and high-density computing push traditional cooling methods to their limits, the data center industry is accelerating the adoption of next-generation HVAC technologies.

Rob Thornton

ARTICLES

A Practical Path to Heat Reuse: Linking Data Centers to District Heating Networks

Decarbonizing Without Disruption: A Practical Path to Building Performance Standards Compliance

Heating and Cooling the Communities of the Future – Geothermal, Geo-exchange and District Energy

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