IGA mourns the loss of Ruggero Bertani, former Executive Director and Vice President of IGA
The international geothermal community mourns the loss of Ruggero Bertani, who recently lost his life after a battle with cancer.
Mr. Ruggero Bertani held a Degree in Physics from Pisa University. From 1979 to 1982 he worked for different Nuclear Physics Laboratories in Italy (INFN, Roma and Pisa) and abroad (CERN, Geneva and Fermilab, Chicago). In 1982 Mr Ruggero Bertani started working for ENEL and was Project Director in the Innovation Department at Enel Green Power and Manager on Geothermal Business Development at Enel’s International division in Italy since 1982.
At ENEL Mr. Ruggero Bertani was responsible for development projects in Berlin and Ahuachapán (El Salvador) and for reservoir assessment in Italy and geothermal fields acquisitions in USA.
During his career Mr. Ruggero Bertani actively participated in a range of different international activities. For example as member of the Consulting Panel of Expert for Geothermal Energy in the 6th Framework Programme, Executive Director and Board member of IGA (International Geothermal Asssociation), President and Board member of the EGEC (European Geothermal Energy Council), Coordinator for the DESCRAMBLE H2020 project, and Chairman of the European Technological and Innovation Platform (ETIP) on Deep Geothermal.
He was the main author of the geothermal chapter of the IPPC report 2009 and leading author of the geothermal chapter in the Special Report on the Renewable Energy Sources (SRREN) of IPCC working group, and published an important book in 2017 on “Perspectives for Geothermal Energy in Europe”. He also was the author of the Global Updates for the Geothermal Power Sector for the World Geothermal Congress of the International Geothermal Association (IGA) since 1995.
Mr. Ruggero Bertani participated in the International Panel of the IEA for the elaboration of the geothermal roadmap. Furthermore Mr. Ruggero Bertani was author or co-author of more than 60 papers, published in International Journals as well as in official publications of International Bodies.
“With Ruggero Bertani, the international geothermal energy community has lost one of its most influential individuals. His dedication to geothermal energy and its promotion through his work at IGA, first as Executive Director, then Board Member and Vice President, and as of late as President of EGEC, has been remarkable and incredibly important for us as an industry. We are eternally grateful for his contribution and extend our condolences to his family and colleagues at Enel in Italy.”, Alexander Richter, President of the International Geothermal Association.
In the words of Miklos Antics, EGEC vice-President: “He was a unique asset to the geothermal community and we will cherish his memory forever.” And of Javier Urchueguia, EGEC vice-president: “He always was a warm and excellent person.”
