Construction has begun on the structure that will house a new geothermal plant. At the site, steel beams rise from a floor of concrete two feet thick, which will support the necessary equipment to turn an aquifer of geothermal water into 1.75 MWe — pushing OIT toward energy autonomy.
The project, along with a nine-acre, two MW solar array also under construction, will make the campus almost completely carbon-neutral.
As part of that goal, the college plans on building an information kiosk around the geothermal pump itself, which plunges 5,300 feet into the ground.
“We want people to look at this and think, ‘Maybe I can do this; maybe this could work for my business or my ranch,’ ” said Chris Maples, OIT president.
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