Jim Lowe, director of engineering, construction and operations, watched the historic final coal shipment. He’s overseen the $80 million geothermal project — consisting of 3,600 boreholes feeding the system that heats and cools 47 buildings on campus — since the first hole was drilled in 2009.
“It has been incredible to witness the progress over the last few years,” Lowe says. “I think we’ll realize the full extent of the changeover from consuming about 36,000 tons of coal a year to renewable energy when the two smoke stacks come down in 2015.”