VIDEO: Northern Illinois University Celebrates Successful Food Production With “Hydropod” Program

By Brea Walters

Oct. 22, 2025

DEKALB, Ill. (WIFR) - Leaders with Northern Illinois University and ComEd are celebrating the successes of a program helping students better understand the future of agriculture.

Two years ago, NIU started its Edible Campus program as a way to fight food insecurity and teach students about agriculture. Leaders say a successful part of that program has been its “Hydropod” vertical farming system.

“Students get this diverse perspective of how you grow food and how do you grow food in urban areas,” explained Courtney Gallaher, NIU Campus Sustainability.

The Hydroponic container garden or “Hydropod” was provided by ComEd and The Electric Power Research Institute (ERPI) as part of a nationwide collaboration to boost food access in local communities.

The Hydropod is a 40-foot by eight-foot box that looks like a standard shipping container. However, inside is a self-contained hydroponic farming system that produces food year-round, complete with energy-efficient equipment.

“Things that we all encounter here in northern Illinois that can hinder our growing experience from being 365 days a year, we don’t have to worry about,” explained Hannah McGoldrick, ComEd’s Smart Grid Programs Manager.

Data provided by NIU’s Hydropod and other container gardens across the country help researchers learn more about indoor food production.

Leaders with ComEd say the system helps the utility company get a better understanding of indoor agriculture’s electrical demand so can it can prepare grids for the future.

Over the last two years, the pod has produced a variety of leafy greens, which are harvested and distributed to campus dining halls, the Huskie Food Pantry, as well as providing food and nutrition-related research opportunities for faculty and students.

“I think that this is going to continue to benefit not just our students with producing fresh and organic foods for them in the dining halls, but also our alignment with the university’s mission with teaching and researching long term,” said Gallaher.

The pod will stay on campus, and Gallaher is excited to see what happens next.

“We have some faculty members that are itching to get in there and start research projects of their own,” said Gallaher.

NIU is one of four organizations in Chicagoland currently participating in the project. They are located in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, its Englewood neighborhood and the Bronzeville neighborhood.