Interview with Colin Harvey
IGA Treasurer 2016-2019
Tell us about yourself.
I was formerly Manager of the Geothermal Division of GNS Science – the research arm of the New Zealand Government in Wairakei New Zealand, but I retired in 2001. I had previously held an Associate Professor position at Indiana University Bloomington US in clay mineralogy as well as several sabbatical teaching appointments in geothermal geochemistry and geology at the Geothermal Institute, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
What makes Geothermal so great?
I began my career in 1960’s as a mineralogist in ceramics, which included the assessment of clay resources in New Zealand Indonesia and the Philippines. Many of these clay resources were the products of hydrothermal alteration. In the 1980’s I became aware of the potential of geothermal resources to play a significant role in sustainable energy development. The study of both clay minerals along with low temperature geochemistry provided a useful supporting role in assessing such resources.
I moved strongly into geothermal science in the early 1980’s with a New Zealand Consultancy and over the past 35 years I have worked on geothermal exploration and resource assessment on over 25 countries worldwide including the Americas, Africa, Asia, Australia, the Pacific and specifically New Zealand.
What makes IGA so great?
I joined the IGA Board in 2010 because I saw the IGA as the international flagship for geothermal development Worldwide. The IGA brings together the World geothermal community, fostering the sharing and exchange of technical expertise for the direct benefits of the individual countries but also for the long term sustainability of the planet.
