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New IGA report published: Green Pipeline – The Oil and Gas to Geothermal Connection

Green Pipeline: The Oil and Gas to Geothermal Connection

The Green Pipeline is an effort to determine and contextualize the technical research and demonstration needs of the oil and gas sectors in pivoting to geothermal resources. There is a new awareness by the energy industry of the need to diversify their portfolio that was accelerated in the last 18 months from the impact of COVID-19 on world consumption changes as well as the arrival of broad political consensus to address climate change. As a result, in early 2021, a team of geothermal professionals developed and publicly distributed a survey instrument with an International Geothermal Association (IGA) supported team reviewing the results.

The survey responses highlighted well-known high-level challenges, yet few provided detailed research and demonstration challenges. The range in size and types of geothermal projects makes it difficult to say any one detail or technology will increase geothermal development.
Some examples of the high level challenges identified include:

  • Improved rate of penetration in harder and deeper rock, at higher temperatures, and wider bore diameters,
  • Derisking through improved exploration and regional 3D modelling,
  • Monitoring tools and wellbore production optimization,
  • Increase the rate of sustainable heat production per well,
  • Control fluid permeation through large volume of rock,
  • Increased heat conversion efficiency at lower delta T’s and lower flows,
  • Longer equipment lifetime in geothermal environments,
  • Reduction in induced seismicity and subsidence challenges,
  • Decreased O & M costs, lateral training of oil and gas professionals, and
  • Low-cost, efficient, standardized surface power plants for low-enthalpy resources.

Quotes attributable to the Technical Team

“The responses to the Green Pipeline survey showed clear call for numerous demonstration projects in parallel, at scale, and across the full thermal suite of geothermal resources. This is how we get to geothermal anywhere.” said Lawrence Molloy, Project Director.

Maria Richards with the SMU Geothermal Laboratory in Dallas, Texas said: “The Green Pipeline initiated the framework on how we can move forward with a technology roadmap for the oil and gas pivot to geothermal”.

“Technical responses to the survey included suggestions in exploration, drilling, reservoir management, and surface systems as well as various (and rapidly proliferating) drilling techniques.”  Graeme Beardsmore, IGA Board Member and Technical Team Member

You can Download the report here:

https://www.lovegeothermal.org/the-green-pipeline-2021/

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New partnership announced through P4G partnerships: Geofutures Greeninvest

We at the IGA are delighted to embark on this journey and work with Parhelion and partners on the ‘GeoFutures – GreenInvest’project. We are active in 64 countries around the globe and serve our 6000 members through 35 affiliated country organisations. East Africa is a key region and offers an unlimited potential for harnessing the geothermal resource. Mobilising insurance underwriting capital to de-risk geothermal investment opportunities is crucial to see the actual projects implemented on the ground. We are looking forward to build the expertise in East Africa and simultaneously to engage in conversations with the wider geothermal sector to see the results transferred in other key geothermal markets and regions as well.

Press contact:
Dr. Marit Brommer, IGA Executive Director
E-Mail: marit@lovegeothermal.org

P4G news: https://p4gpartnerships.org/partnership/geofutures-greeninvest

GeoFutures GreenInvest Press release
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Successful Baltic Symposium & Geotherm

The Baltic Symposium featured 12 country presentations and a high level overview on the global geothermal state of play presented by the President of the International Geothermal Association – Alexander Richter. In particular, the GeoTherm conference taking place on 14-15 February highlighted the increased awareness of geothermal energy in Germany and Central Europe.

The IGA was present with a booth showcasing our new Insider Club and the initiatives we are setting up with our partners on technical standards such as well designs and the UNFC geothermal specifications that we have deployed in three countries, Indonesia, St Lucia and the Caribbean.

Over 1200 people attended the conference which featured 15 presentations and 200 exhibitors.

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Asia Symposium

Start-end date: 2018

On the 28th of February 2018, the IGA together with the International Energy Agency – Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Geothermal TCP) and the Exhibition Centre Offenburg offered an Asia Symposium with distinguished Asian and international experts. The Symposium was held one day prior to the GeoTHERM 2018.

Every year, the GeoTHERM expo & congress collaborates with a country or region, which is presented as Guest of Honour. For 2018, the Exhibition Centre Offenburg was delighted to welcome the countries of Asia as Guests of Honour.

Presentations from the Symposium can be downloaded below.

https://www.lovegeothermal.org/conferences_and_events/past_conferences/asia_symposium.html

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Latin America Symposium

Start-end date: 2017

On 14 – 15 February 2017, the IGA together with the International Energy Agency – Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme (IEA Geothermal TCP) and the Exhibition Centre Offenburg offered a Latin America Symposium with distinguished Latin American and international experts. The Symposium was held one day prior to the GeoTHERM 2017.

Every year, the GeoTHERM expo & congress partners with a country or region which is presented as Guest of Honour. For 2017, the Exhibition Centre Offenburg is delighted to welcome the countries of Latin America as Guests of Honour.

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GEMEX

Start-end date: 2016-2020

GEMex – Cooperation in Geothermal energy research Europe-Mexico for development of Enhanced Geothermal Systems and Superhot Geothermal Systems.

GEMex has the ambition to bring together the extended Mexican know how of discovering, developing, and deploying conventional geothermal energy systems with a variety of European expertise from similar geothermal energy systems (Italy, Iceland etc.), of developing EGS technology, and finding new approaches to make use of super-hot geothermal systems. The approach should lead to concepts for extended future deployment of geothermal energy in Europe and Mexico. This will be done by common site developments, one for hot-EGS (Enhanced Geothermal Systems) and one for SHGS (Super-Hot Geothermal Systems). This approach will open synergies of competencies and technologies and will lead to an acceleration of the learning curve for geothermal development. Potential drill paths will be developed in the target areas in order to maximize the scientific output. The findings will be compared to extended experiences in EGS projects in Europe and elsewhere and with the few SHGS-projects in Europe (IDDP1) and Japan (Kakkonda).

More information about the project on: www.gemex-h2020.eu/index.php/en/

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GSS-VET

Start-end date: 2016-2020

The IGA is a partner in GSS-VET Project. Geothermal- and Solar Skills – Vocational Education and Training aims at providing new environmental skills for the construction sector. Training providers have not yet caught up with the new skills demand, creating an important skills gap in the current labour market. Following the identification of skills needs, the partners will create an innovative training including work-based and ubiquitous learning and flipped classroom for geothermal and for solar energy system installers (EQF level 4-5). The training content will be focused on technical skills but also on transversal ones, including entrepreneurship, ICT, interdisciplinary skills and ability to work effectively with people from other disciplines.

For the above an e-Learning Platform is to be designed with corresponding digitalized contents. 40 trainers and 200 workers will directly be trained during the project’s lifetime, and thanks to the involvement of VET providers, sectorial organizations (including an EU umbrella), regional authorities and other associated partners, 2,500 workers will be trained by 2025.

More information about the project on: www.gss-vet.eu

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IDB Project Central America

Start-end date: 2013-2015

Project of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the National Energy Council of El Salvador (CNE): Concept development of a Regional Geothermal Training Centre in Central America.

The IGA and the International Geothermal Centre Bochum advise the National Energy Council of El Salvador (CNE) and the University of El Salvador in establishing a Regional Geothermal Training Centre. The project was funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). The consultancy included the following components: training needs assessment in Latin America and the Caribbean, sustainable financial plan of the training centre, academic curriculum, training of lecturers, administrative plan, improvement of learning infrastructure, marketing concept, development of the scholarship programme 2014, cluster concept and collaboration with the industry.

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Geothermal Initiative in five Andean Countries in Latin America

Start-end date: 2013-2015

The project was initiated with the official signing of the MoU between the IGA President Roland Horne and the Director General of IRENA Adnan Z. Amin on 17 January 2013. The signing ceremony took place in Abu Dhabi at the occasion of the World Future Energy Summit and Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy Conference where the IGA had also organized a Geothermal Session.

A first collaboration was started in the five Andean countries Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru aiming at promoting geothermal energy by advising decision makers, awareness raising and an identification of the current status and needs for geothermal energy development. Strategic activities included the development of initial background studies and workshops. Mentor countries were also included in the project concept and two consultants were hired by IRENA for background studies.

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IFC Project: Geothermal best practice guide and workshops

Start-end date: 2013

In January 2013 a one-year project was initiated by IFC, Turkey the private sector branch of the World Bank and the IGA. Aims of the cooperation were to raise awareness on geothermal energy among financial institutions, banks, insurances and developers in Turkey. The tasks included: the training of geothermal developers to raise awareness of the geothermal exploration best practice, organization of technical workshops with individual geothermal developers, support of the trainings on geothermal risks and mitigation techniques delivered by IFC to financial institutions, revision of a best practice document on geothermal energy which was produced by a geothermal consulting company in 2011, gain buy-in and endorsements from key stakeholders (including geothermal developers and financial institutions) to ensure validity, applicability, wide dissemination and broad adoption of the Best Practice Guide, support IFC in reviews of developers’ pre-feasibility reports.

On 27 March 2013 IFC together with the IGA launched Geothermal Exploration Best Practices: a guide to resource data collection, analysis, and presentation for geothermal projects in Istanbul, Turkey. The Guide outlines procedures and exploration techniques for geothermal projects and provides guidelines for presenting a geothermal project to funding entities and insurance companies. A focus is placed on high temperature geothermal resources for electricity generation. The second extended version of the Guide is available for download.

Download from the old website: (Only second edition of the Guide)

https://www.lovegeothermal.org/ifc-iga_launch_event_best_practice_guide.html

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