Home | Sustainability | Clean Energy

Clean Energy Campus

Solar Power

Oregon Tech installed 7,800 ground-mounted solar electric panels on 9 acres of hillside next to the John F. Moehl football stadium, with a total capacity of just under 2 megawatt. The panels are tilted at 35 degrees with different orientations ranging from 180 to 210 degrees south to capture the sun’s rays and convert the energy into electricity to power approximately 35% of the Oregon Tech campus. The solar project is an "all-Oregon" project and is one of the largest solar photovoltaic system in the state of Oregon and the largest multiple campus, university system-based contract for solar energy in the nation.

Geothermal Power

The campus has been entirely heated by geothermal water for several decades, and now the geothermal resource is being utilized in a 1.75-megawatt combined heat and power plant to provide electricity.

With the completion of the 1.75 MW geothermal power plant and the 2.0 MW solar array project, Oregon Tech became the first university in North America to reach a major goal to generate most—if not all—electrical power needed for the campus.

Climate Neutral Campus

  • Oregon Tech will reach its goal of being clean energy powered and climate neutral by 2050.


Initiatives by the Numbers

Oregon Tech has the first geothermal combined heat and power plant in the world on a university campus and uses it to heat the entire campus.

The Solar Array installed at Oregon Tech is the equivalent to 225,150 Gal. of Gasoline Saved

Operation of the Geothermal Plants at Oregon Tech are equivalent to removing 545 Cars from the road for a year

Combined output from the renewable energy projects will exceed campus electricity use by an estimated 700,000 kilowatt hours per year. That energy will be donated to Pacific Power’s low-income subsidy program, making Oregon Tech the largest non-utility net metering contributor in the state.


geo-solar plants

Renewable Energy Engineering Degrees

In 2005, Oregon Tech furthered its commitment to sustainable power by introducing the first Bachelor of Science in Renewable Energy Systems in North America (now known as Renewable Energy Engineering).

ABET Accredited

Oregon Tech’s renewable energy program establishes the engineering principles graduates will need to develop, promote, and implement sustainable energy technologies. Oregon Tech’s BS in Renewable Energy Engineering degree program is the only ABET-accredited energy engineering program in North America.

The Master of Science in Renewable Energy Engineering (MSREE) program is offered at the Oregon Tech Wilsonville Campus. The MSREE program accommodates both full-time students and working professionals. The MSREE program is designed to prepare graduates to be energy engineering professionals who have advanced knowledge and skills that enable them to assume a broad range of technical leadership roles.

In the News

More Sustainability Resources

  • Geo-Heat Center
    The Oregon Tech campus in Klamath Falls is the only geothermally heated university campus in America, and is home to the Geo-Heat Center, a national resource for geothermal development.
  • Oregon Renewable Energy Center (OREC)
    Oregon Tech hosts the Oregon Renewable Energy Center (OREC), which conducts applied research on photovoltaic power systems, ground-source heating systems, fuel-cell systems, wind, biomass and integrated systems.
Top