Central Plant Building
Efficient Building Operations Systems
The central plant produces the chilled and hot water that is used to heat and cool the vast majority of the buildings on campus. Centralizing these heating and cooling operations provides an economy of scale that is much more efficient and reliable than having individual building-level systems.
The chilled water system includes electric chillers and electric ice harvesting machines that feed the Ice Thermal Energy Storage System. The eight cooling towers, which are visible on the roof of the central plant, are used by the chillers and ice harvesters to cool the water. The heating system consists of natural gas fired water tube boilers. The university is making plans to convert the natural gas boilers to newer technologies such as heat recovery chillers, which are expected to reduce carbon emissions related to the central plant by 30%. By 2045, central plant emissions are projected to decline by 85%, as the power grid transitions to cleaner electricity sources and the campus implements newer, more efficient technology.