Tours Open Again

The impact of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is widespread. Most operational aspects at F&S continued, but under much different guidelines and challenges than before. One that couldn’t continue: public tours. As a university resource provider, F&S offers facility tour opportunities, especially to students and children.

Garage and Car Pool; Waste Transfer Station

Nobody loves big trucks more than a bunch of little kids!

Area pre-school and elementary students, and other youngsters come to see how garbage can be hoisted up off the ground and witness vehicle maintenance and repair right there in front of their eyes! The Garage and Car Pool services does more than 5,000 rentals per year using more than 100 vehicles. Over at the nearby Waste Transfer Station (WTS), garbage and recycling materials are separated on a conveyor belt, while huge, 10-feet cubes of cardboard are moved by forklifts. More than four million pounds of material is recycled yearly thanks to WTS. To schedule a tour, fill out this form online: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/RecyclingTour

Solar Farm

You can once again walk amongst the panels of the prairie. Engineering and ecological students alike, as well as the public, can visit the solar farm installations south of campus. Solar Farm 2.0 is particularly large and features the most up-to-date solar energy technologies available. Solar Farm 2.0 is on 54 acres and produces 12.3 megawatts (MWdc). Knowledgeable experts in renewable and utility-scale energy can answer questions and provide an idea of the scale and impact of the technology. To schedule a tour, fill out this form online: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/SolarFarmtours

Abbott Power Plant

Abbott isn’t just a one-of-a-kind co-generation power station for a massive campus; it’s a historical landmark and might make for a cool social media post! Once it turned on the lights in 1940, additions and alterations have been made to allow for more modes of energy production. But massive and capable turbines that have operated since as far back as 1940 remain. After all, reliability is the landmark of a power plant like Abbott. Once inside and doffing your safety helmet, goggles, and ear protection, you can see a landscape of pipes, gauges, and skilled operators, each working in harmony to supply most of the steam and electricity to campus buildings. To schedule a tour, fill out this form online: https://go.fs.illinois.edu/Abbott-Tours