Oregon State University-Cascades will host an open house 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. May 15 in Edward J. Ray Hall to share plans and progress toward a net-zero energy campus.

Participants will be able to view displays that explain the engineering behind the net-zero energy goal, meet with campus planners and energy experts and have the opportunity to provide feedback. Community feedback will be used in proposals as the university branch campus prepares to seek funding through the Oregon Department of Energy’s grant programs.

The campus’s 2018 long-range development plan first solidified the net-zero energy goal after community engagement efforts. Since then, engineers have begun developing a groundwater-based open-loop geo-exchange system that is connected to an aquifer 500 feet underground. The system will provide year-round heating and cooling of campus buildings. Edward J. Ray Hall and the Student Success Center are the first campus buildings to be connected to the geo-exchange system.

The event is free, though registration is required at beav.es/energy-open-house.