UNIVERSITY GOES GEOTHERMAL

Going geothermal; university plans to install the largest system in the country
February 6, 2009 (Ball State University Newscenter)

"…Ball State University is poised to take a bold, new approach to meeting its campus heating and cooling needs through geothermal energy. During its regularly scheduled Feb. 6 meeting on campus, the university's Board of Trustees approved a proposal that sets in motion a phased replacement of the plant's four existing coal-fired stoker boilers through a complete transition of the university's central heating and cooling system to one employing geothermal fields and energy centers to service more than 40 buildings on campus…

"The project will be divided into phases. Phase I will cost $36 million and will result in the shutting down of two coal stoker boilers and an annual operational savings in excess of $1 million. The university will seek state approval to apply $41.8 million in existing funds for use in developing the geothermal system. The funds were originally designated for coal-fired boiler replacement."

click to enlarge

"To complete Phase II, Ball State will use the balance of the $41.8 million, operational savings, and general and special repair and renovation funds. This phased conversion to geothermal would take place over a five to 10 year period, depending on the availability of funds over time. The total cost of the conversion over that period is estimated at $70 million.

"The university will actively pursue federal stimulus grants to contribute to the project and reduce its implementation schedule by many years. This project matches very closely to the stated goals of the proposed stimulus package: Much of it qualifies as shovel-ready, uses renewable energy sources and reduces carbon emissions…"

click to enlarge

"Geothermal equipment has been available for several decades and has been used in both residential and commercial applications. According to a December 2008 report from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 600,000 geothermal heat pumps have been installed in the United States…[T]aking the current coal boilers offline will save the university a half-million dollars per boiler annually in operational costs, resulting in savings of $2 million a year when the project is completed. Just as important…the university's net carbon footprint will be cut approximately in half…

…[P]lanners are considering locations for the geothermal well fields on campus, where water will be circulated in a closed-loop piping system to a depth of roughly 400 feet before being returned to the surface and distributed through three energy centers, which will act as central heat exchangers…"