Campus Sustainability

Grind2Energy

The Grind2Energy system captures dining hall food scraps at the University of Illinois in 4,000 gallon tanks. The waste is then transferred to a local treatment plant, Urbana-Champaign Sanitary District, where it is processed in an anaerobic digester and converted into methane gas and fertilizer. The methane gas is used to help power the plant’s energy needs, and the solids are retained and spread out on local farm fields as a form of fertilizer for area farmers.

Geothermal at CIF

In April 2021, the largest geothermal energy system on campus became operational to condition the Campus Instructional Facility (CIF).

Geothermal energy systems take advantage of the stable temperatures underground to heat and cool buildings. In the winter, fluid in underground pipes absorbs and carries heat stored underground to a building, while in the summer, pipes carry heat away from the building and into the ground, thus cooling the building.

Solar Farm 2.0

First energized in January 2021, Solar Farm 2.0 is a 12.32 megawatt utility-scale array located north of Curtis Road, between First Street and Dunlap Avenue. It produces approximately 20,000 MWh/year for the university, and is the larger of two on-campus solar farms.

The installation incorporates bi-facial solar panels, uses a tracking system to follow the sun from east to west, and has pollinator-friendly plants installed to support nearby ecosystems.

Net Zero ECE Building

In 2023, the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Building became the university’s first zero-energy certified facility. All of the building’s operational energy is offset through a combination of its 300 kilowatt rooftop solar array and solar renewable energy credits from Solar Farm 2.0.

The ECE Building has many features that reduce energy consumption. These include LED and fluorescent lighting, intelligent systems to optimize energy usage, and other green design attributes.