Aidan Vanhoof, Staff Writer
The cogeneration power plant, located behind Discovery Hall. Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. Glassboro, N.J. (Staff Writer / Aidan Vanhoof)
The cogeneration power plant located by Discovery Hall malfunctioned, causing a mild reduction in temperature across the campus.
According to a Rowan Advisory email sent out to all Rowan students and faculty on Friday, Jan. 16, buildings across the campus were about 5 degrees cooler.
“Last night the Co-Gen Power Plant on the Glassboro Campus malfunctioned, reducing the steam capacity needed to heat the campus,” the email said. “Repairs are expected to be completed this afternoon. Until then, most buildings will be 5 degrees cooler today. Please dress appropriately. Thank you for your patience.”
Repairs were delayed until the following day, as an essential component failed before its scheduled replacement date, forcing the power plant to operate at 50% power. Contractors repaired it until a sensor failure caused other components to shut down.
Replacements were found, and the power plant returned to normal functioning the same afternoon.
“The simple explanation is that a component failed before its scheduled replacement date, which forced the co-gen plant to operate at 50 percent capacity,” said Joe Cardona, the vice chancellor for University Communication. “Contractors made the necessary repairs, but then small sensors failed, forcing some systems to shut down. Once the faulty sensors were identified and replaced, the co-gen returned to normal operations.”
Some students, like freshman music industry major Brandon Lattanzi, did not seem to have noticed any substantial difference in temperature.
“My Chestnut dorm has not had heat for this whole winter, so I wouldn’t have known,” said Lattanzi.
One student, Tory Lobby, a freshman radio, television, and film major, noticed a slight difference.
“I want to say slightly, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. I did study in my friend’s dorm, which was in Chestnut, and that was much colder. It was freezing in there,” Lobby said.
Students consistently complained of low temperatures across campus, especially in the dorms. Some dorm buildings, such as Chestnut, lack reliable heating to begin with, meaning the 5-degree cooling hardly made a difference, according to Lattanzi and Lobby.
Co-generation power plants produce power by fusing geothermal and electrical power. A division of Caterpillar Corp. manufactured it for a 2007 installation to improve reliability, efficiency, and environmental friendliness, according to a Rowan Today article on the topic.
The co-gen power plant contributes to a broader campus-wide initiative started in 2009, called the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan, designed to enhance environmental sustainability.
According to the Carbon Neutrality Action Plan, Rowan hopes to have geothermal energy heat the whole campus by 2029. This comes just prior to a historic blizzard on Jan. 25 that caused over a million people to lose power and killed 62 people, according to USA Today.
For comments/questions about this story, DM us on Instagram @thewhitatrowan or email ottoch32@rowan.edu
Aidan Vanhoof 
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