A packed auditorium at Sursa Performance Hall helped dedicate Ball State's geothermal project Tuesday - a new venture that will save the school $2 million annually and has also led to an estimated 2,300 jobs.
An informational video shown during the presentation also mentioned the new heating and cooling system will cut Ball State's 85,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in half.
"The fact that we wanted to embrace a solution that was truly audacious. ... This system will be 600 percent more efficient than our current system," President Jo Ann Gora said.
The efficiency comes from the transition from coal-based heating to a water-based heating system. Geothermal piping extends underground and uses the heat of the earth's crust to heat water. Conversely, the ground can remove heat to provide cold water. Using these pipes means that there will be no need to burn 36,000 tons of coal, which is a major expense.
The implementation of the geothermal method has environmental benefits, as well. The elimination of coal diminishes 3,400 tons of coal ash that would normally have gone to a landfill, according to a brochure handed out by the university.
"It is a mark of an institution's commitment to its long-term energy future -¡- that we did not take the easy way out and go with coal again," Gora said. "We believe in renewable energy systems ... there was no better system."
Locally, health conditions will improve and acid rain will be reduced. The project also created 2,300 jobs at the university both directly and indirectly, and the construction used mostly components that were manufactured in the United States.
Despite all the congratulations - including accolades via video from Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) - funding is still an issue.
Gora said the university still needs $20 million to complete the project, and it's looking into state, federal and grant funding. She said the portion of the system that is already running will save the university $1 million annually and when completed, it will save $2 million annually.
"It is possible to bond the rest of it and to use the savings that come from that bonding to finance the rest of the project," Gora said. "That is ultimately our fall back."
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