The GHP system is used to heat and cool more than 40 buildings while four on-campus coal-fired power plants are expected to be shut down.
The $65 to $70m project received a $5m grant from the Department of Energy and state construction bonds and is expected displace 50% of greenhouse gas emissions and save $2m in energy costs annually.
GHP system will use the constant temperature of the earth as a heat sink to absorb heat in cooling mode and as a heat source in heating mode.
The Ball State system includes 4,000 bore holes drilled to about 500ft, connected by miles of hot and cold water pipes connected to two central plants with high-efficiency heat pumps.
EnLink will drill 675 of the boreholes and will commence the work in November and expects to complete the work by August 2012.
