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.
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.