Nation’s Largest Project of Its Kind

True to our tradition of innovation, Ball State continues to be revolutionary and responsible. We have created the nation’s largest ground-source, closed-loop district geothermal energy system,  benefiting both the economy and the environment.

Water heated by the Earth began flowing through a new geothermal district heating and cooling system in spring 2012. This first phase of the geothermal conversion allowed Ball State to reduce its reliance on four aging coal-fired boilers. The project provided several hundred contractors and suppliers employment and an opportunity for an estimated 2,300 direct and indirect jobs, according to a study conducted by Ball State’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

Following the completion of the second phase of the project, the university was able to shut down the coal-fired boilers, thereby cutting the campus carbon footprint nearly in half. The system now heats and cools 50 buildings.

View the geothermal map

 To create the system, Ball State drilled approximately 3,600 boreholes in borehole fields around campus. These boreholes are deep underground and the land above has all been restored to its previous use, retaining the beauty of campus. Learn more about how geothermal energy works.

 The system’s implementation demonstrates that geothermal energy coupled with ground source heat pump technology can be used on a large-scale district distribution system. Since ground-source geothermal energy can be used in every state, the environmental and economic implications have a national reach.

 The geothermal project is part of Ball State’s long-standing commitment to sustainability. In a fitting tribute, the geothermal project was dedicated in conjunction with the Greening of the Campus IX: Building Pedagogy, an interdisciplinary conference that allows people representing diverse areas in university communities to share information on environmental issues.