A report from Notre Dame News described the hydroelectric plant as the latest component in Notre Dame's wide-ranging sustainability plan, which is designed to eliminate coal use in the University's power plant by the end of 2020 as well as cut its carbon footprint by half by 2030. To date, the University has reduced its carbon emissions by 49%. Overall, Notre Dame has targeted six key areas with its sustainability plan: energy and emissions; water; building and construction; waste; procurement, licensing and sourcing; and education, research, and community outreach. To date, the University has: introduced five green roofs, two new combined-cycle natural gas-fired combustion turbines, 2,650 tons of geothermal energy production, a 2.5-million-gallon thermal energy storage system, and three operational solar arrays. It also has achieved more than $15 million worth of energy conservation measures and funding for a number of research initiatives by faculty and graduate students.