Wisconsin is looking to a new and perhaps logical place to save money on energy costs, its college students.

Wednesday (9/27), U.W. Stevens Point was selected to take part in a project which should make the campus energy self-sufficient in five years.

That means by 2012 U.W.S.P. will no longer use fossil fuels like coal or oil to heat, cool and power the University. Instead they'll produce and use renewable energy in a project that will be powered by the imagination of students.

"In the kind of creative energy coming out of our campuses, we're going to find answers to things we can apply across the state of Wisconsin," said Gov. Jim Doyle (D) Wisconsin.

Solar panels already adorn some buildings at U.W. Stevens Point. They power the hot water heaters for the dorms and pool, and a green roof on top of the library insulates and cools the building. But with the new project students can expect to see many more energy saving devices. Everything from wind to fuel cells will power the campus.

"I think it's really, really exciting we know have this opportunity to let the world know we're going to become energy independent," said Ross Cohen, the U.W.S.P. Student Body President.

There's no word yet on how much the new technology will cost. But the governor says they've already started budgeting state dollars to afford the project, and he says he expects the project will pay for itself in the long run since the universities won't need to spend millions on fuel.

U.W.S.P isn't the only school participating in the project. Three other U.W. schools were selected. They are U.W. Green Bay, Oshkosh and River Falls.