University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld announced in February 2017 that the university campus will be coal-free by 2025. The University of Iowa Power Plant will increase its use of biomass and other renewable energy sources to meet this goal.
On Wednesday, the UI Office of Sustainability took one small step closer to its goal of sourcing 40 percent of its energy from renewable sources by planting 15 acres of biomass fuel: a plant called miscanthus.
As ash trees are dying due to infestation with emerald ash borer, the UI is burning the trees in the boilers that generate the steam that heats and cools campus buildings, which will help the university reach its goal of generating 40 percent of its energy through renewable sources by 2020.
