A culture of collaboration and innovation
Facilities Management partners with several groups across campus and beyond to create innovative sustainable practices.
A public-private partnership: UI and ENGIE
Our award-winning biomass program using oat hulls, miscanthus, and energy pellets; central heating and cooling system; along with our innovative P3 partnership with ENGIE makes the UI one of the most unique campus utility programs in the country.
The UI Energy Collaborative, made up of representatives from ENGIE, Meridiam, and the University of Iowa, manages the UI utility system. The UI Energy Collaborative provides energy resources to campus while advancing important initiatives and research.
Learn more about the UI utility system, operated by energy firms ENGIE and Meridiam, that helps the University of Iowa meet its energy, steam, water, and chilled water needs.
An engaged sustainability partner
Facilities Management is an important partner in the University of Iowa's sustainability goals. For more on the University of Iowa's sustainability goals, see the Office of Sustainability and the Environment's 2030 sustainability goals.
The UI is on the Path to Zero Coal by 2025 by developing innovative biomass alternatives to coal.
Facilities Management is responsible for several initiatives that support the University of Iowa's sustainability goals as outlined by the Office of Sustainability and the Environment.
A commitment to research and academics
Facilities Management is invested in the University of Iowa's dedication to be a innovative research institution. The UI utility system provides a valuable opportunity to pursue innovative research.
UI engineering graduate student Hannah Molitor collaborated with UI production facilities to research growing microalgae as livestock feed using boiler flue gas as a nutrient source. Co-authored with Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Jerald L. Schnoor, her research article titled "Using Simulated Flue Gas to Rapidly Grow Nutritious Microalgae with Enhanced Settleability" was published based on her research conducted in collaboration with the main power plant.