From Coal to Carbon Neutral: Catawba College Paves the Way

Catawba College, a private liberal arts institution in North Carolina, has become one of only 13 colleges in the United States to be certified carbon neutral. Through a long-term partnership with RMI, the college is implementing a District Energy and Modernization (DEM) project that integrates geoexchange systems, solar energy, and high-performance building standards to eliminate fossil fuel dependence and address deferred maintenance.

• Catawba College is one of only 13 institutions in the United States to achieve carbon neutral certification. The college is currently pursuing operational carbon neutrality by aligning its deferred maintenance needs with a shift toward district energy to move away from fossil fuels.
• The college's District Energy and Modernization (DEM) project includes a four-phase installation of a closed-loop geoexchange system. In 2024, the college drilled 39 wells for this system, which is designed to eventually provide heating and cooling to 26 campus buildings. Once completed, the system is projected to reduce carbon emissions by 51 metric tons and cut at least 145,724 kWh of purchased electrical energy and 265 MMBtu of gas annually.
• Catawba has invested in significant solar capacity, including approximately 837 kW of solar panels installed in 2015, which was more than any other higher education institution in North Carolina at the time. This 2015 installation had forecast savings of $5 million over 20 years. The college added another 55 kW of solar in 2024.
• The college is repurposing and constructing high-performance buildings. The 'Smokestack'—a former coal-fired power plant used from the 1950s to 1990s—is being converted into a 10,000-square-foot student hub targeting LEED Platinum and Living Building Challenge Core Imperative certifications. Additionally, a new 130-bed residence hall broken ground in April 2025 is designed to meet Passive House US certification, which is expected to reduce cooling loads by 75%, heating loads by 44%, and overall energy use by 55% compared to typical North Carolina construction.
• A net present value (NPV) cost analysis indicates that the DEM project is financially viable compared to business-as-usual practices, with projected savings of approximately $10 million between 2025 and 2054 across energy, operations, and maintenance costs.

APA

RMI (2025). From Coal to Carbon Neutral: Catawba College Paves the Way. https://rmi.org/resources/from-coal-to-carbon-neutral-catawba-college-paves-the-way/

Chicago

RMI. From Coal to Carbon Neutral: Catawba College Paves the Way. 2025. https://rmi.org/resources/from-coal-to-carbon-neutral-catawba-college-paves-the-way/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=From Coal to Carbon Neutral: Catawba College Paves the Way |date=16 December 2025 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/from-coal-to-carbon-neutral-catawba-college-paves-the-way/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2025from, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{From Coal to Carbon Neutral: Catawba College Paves the Way}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2025}, month = dec, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/from-coal-to-carbon-neutral-catawba-college-paves-the-way/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }