Join us today at the World Geothermal Congress 2020+1 for the third virtual event of the onine series and learn about recent developments in engineering.
Speakers will present on a number of topics including Drilling and Completion, Reservoir Engineering, Corossion and Scaling, Power Generation, Production Engineering and many others.
Join live event here: www.wgc2020.com
The second virtual event of the World Geothermal Congress – Geosciences takes place on 11-12 May 2021.
Join us live and learn more about new trends and innovations in geology, geophysics, geochemistry, hydrogeology, exploration, resource assessment and other topics.
Join the event now: www.wgc2020.com
The first virtual event of the World Geothermal Congress takes place today – 13 April 2021.
Join the event now: www.wgc2020.com
To all our friends in the global geothermal community and those looking forward to join us.
These have been interesting and challenging times for all of us around the world and with the dawn of a new spring (or autumn), it is time to look forward to an exciting decade for geothermal and the World Geothermal Congress 2020+1. Planned since 2014, we are now finally ready to go.
The kick-off event with a high-profile line-up of speakers and details to be shared about the World Congress events and logistics provide a great opportunity to prepare for an exciting 7 months of all things geothermal.
So join us on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 – 15:00 to 17:00 UTC for the live stream for the virtual official kick-off of the World Geothermal Congress 2020+1. A recording will be available afterwards. We have secured a great line up of speakers!
„We are wonderfully excited to be finally able kicking-off the World Geothermal Congress 2020, and are very much looking forward to have you with us for this event and the exciting events planned.“, Hidda Thorsteinsson, Managing Director Research and Innovation, Reykjavik Energy.
For more details visit our website wgc2020.com.
„We have been hard at work in the recent weeks and months and launched a new website for the congress. There you will find all details related to the new format of the event, including the extensive agenda of the program, details on the set-up, speakers, social program and all the things that make the World Geothermal Congress the great meeting venue for the global geothermal community. We hope to engage with you all in the coming months and see you in Reykjavik in October.“, Dr. Bjarni Pálsson, Chairman of the WGC2020 Organising Committee and Head of Geothermal, Landsvirkjun.
With the challenges of these times, a large part of the program has been moved into an extensive virtual event series of five fully packed days of presentations and discussions. This set-up creates a complete new experience and value, given that all 1,800+ presentations will be available online for a minimum of 12 months. Never before have we had this level of access to the state of knowledge, experience and history of geothermal development, technology, social aspects, and so much more. This format allows all participants to access all program aspects like never before, given the traditionally set up of parallel sessions of the technical programs at the World Geothermal Congress events.
The virtual event series is split into five long-day events, under the following themes: general, geoscience(in two parts), engineering, and cross-cutting. They will feature around 200 video presentations each, followed by live moderated Q&A discussions after each session. The events will take place within a dedicated conference platform, which we will introduce in a tutorial on the congress website. The dates for event are April 13, May 11-12, June 15, July 6, 2021.
The onsite event will then be held as planned in Reykjavik October 24-27, 2021, but major parts of the events of the onsite congress will be streamed and made available for those that cannot travel.
The event now provides the best of both worlds, in this „+1“ approach and an increased value given the unparalleled access to the entire technical program, as well as key elements of the onsite event in Reykjavik in October.
The entire experience for the event is sold as one package with one ticket given access to all elements of the congress both virtual and onsite. We have chosen to keep pricing in place as is, despite the challenges and increased costs in the approach chosen now. Our target was to guarantee the best access, visibility and value for speakers, participating companies and stakeholders. Registration is open.
The event in Reykjavik will allow for all the traditional elements of a World Geothermal Congress. The Exhibition at the conference vene Harpa will continue to provide a great opportunity to showcase your company‘s offering to the geothermal world. The virtual platform will also allow for a virtual representation of your company both as sponsor and exhibitor. Details can be found on wgc2020.com.
The value of WGC2020+1 is further increased with the fantastic and unique opportunity to experience all things geothermal in Iceland within just a short-drive from Harpa Conference Centre. Field trips & excursions on offer provide the opportunity to experience first hand geothermal energy utilization for power generation, district heating, direct use, and even soak in one of the many outdoor swimming pools and spas in and around Reykjavik.
We would like to thank the continued support of our main sponsors, partners and stakeholders around the world, in particular Ormat Technologies as Platinum sponsor, as well as the Icelandic energy companies, HS Orka, Landsvirkjun, and Reykjavik Energy.
Ever since the World Geothermal Congress 2020 was postponed last spring, the WGC Organising Committee has been working hard planning a congress in May 2021. However, it has become clear that May this year is not possible either.
In light of this, the Organising Committee has adapted WGC to the new situation we are all facing, while still guaranteeing that WGC 2020 will be an outstanding world class event, where Iceland’s knowledge and experience in harnessing geothermal will be at the forefront.
The outcome is World Geothermal Congress 2020+1, a series of monthly virtual events, where over 2,000 papers will be presented, giving the audience to interact with their respective authors and presenters. The highlight of WGC 2020+1 will be a three-day on-site/ hybrid conference in Harpa Conference Centre in Reykjavik, Iceland on 24-27 October 2021, this highlight event will be streamed on-line giving all those of our community that cannot still travel a chance to join the action.
What was planned as a geothermal week in Reykjavik in 2020 will in effect become a geothermal semester, stretching from the virtual opening on March 30 towards the end of October 2021.
The on-site in person event in Reykjavik will be the high point of WGC 2020+1. Turning a spotlight to all the highlights, industry leaders will convene in Harpa Conference Centre to discuss the most outstanding papers, the biggest challenges facing geothermal today and of course, how geothermal can improve its competitiveness and relevance, all the while contributing towards a sustainable and carbon neutral future of energy.
We would like to thank all those registered and especially the sponsors & exhibitors for keeping their commitments with us throughout these uncertain past months. Without them there would have been no WGC 2020+1.
It has been a long and hard journey but we cannot wait to welcome you, on-line and on-site!
More information here.
The recording of the WGC 2020 Virtual Event on the Global Geothermal Updates for power and direct use has been released.
A virtual event featuring presentations on the WGC 2020 Global Update Papers on Geothermal Power and Direct Use was launched today from Reykjavik, Iceland.
The event featured presentations with the global updates on geothermal power generation and direct use, and an addresses from the Steering Committees, Technical Program, IGA, the Geothermal Training Program (GRO-GTP) and last but not least the President of Iceland.
WGC 2020 Virtual Event – Global Updates – 27 April 2020 from Iceland Geothermal on Vimeo.
Posted by Alexander Richter on thinkgeoenergy.com
In less than a week from now the World Geothermal Congress 2020 would have started in Reykjavik, Iceland. But, as announced before a virtual event will at least bring some of it to you with the WGC 2020 Virtual Event & Global Updates on the same day the event was to open, April 27, 2020.
Hosted by the chair and co-chair of the Icelandic organising committee, the program will feature presentations on the Global Update Papers on Geothermal Power and Direct use and a variety of addresses from Steering Committees, Technical Program, IGA, the Geothermal Training Program (GRO-GTP) and last but not least the President of Iceland.
After the event both Global Updates as well as the entire catalogue of Country Updates for WGC 2020 will be made available on the IGA website.
So, tune in at https://www.wgc2020.com on April 27 at 14:00 (2pm) Reykjavik time or watch later at your convenience as the recording will be available on the WGC 2020 website. Other time zones: 11pm (Tokyo), 9pm (Jakarta), 5pm (Nairobi), 4pm (Berlin), 10am (New York), 7am (San Francisco), 2am +1 day (Auckland)
To our friends on the other side of the globe, a quick note that the event will be based on recordings, and you do not need to get up in the middle of the night to watch it.
WGC2020 thanks Welltec for the kind sponsorship of the event.
Welltec develops and provides well technology and solutions for the oil and gas industry. Our technology and solutions are dedicated to aid in optimizing the performance of reservoirs by providing the necessary solutions to do so, both in the form of well completion technology and intervention solutions which ensure the well performance and integrity. Company website: https://welltec.com/
The Organising Committee of the World Geothermal Congress 2020 in Reykjavik, Iceland, in conjunction with the International Geothermal Association (IGA), will be hosting a virtual event on Monday, 27 April 2020 – The same time as the opening ceremony was originally scheduled for. As the highly anticipated WGC in Reykjavik, Iceland had to be postponed to May of next year, work has continued in trying to connect the global geothermal community and provide some well-deserved distraction in these challenging times to all of us. The event will be streamed on the WGC website and will feature presentations on the Global Update Papers on Geothermal Power and Geothermal Direct Use respectively as well as an address from the President of Iceland, the Organising Committee and the IGA.
“While we were forced to postpone WGC 2020 due to the circumstances around the world, we are grateful for the understanding and continued support by registrants and sponsors for the decision to postpone the event by a year. So, we wanted to engage with the global geothermal community and thought organising a virtual event featuring the papers with global geothermal updates is a great way to do that. These updates highlight the great progress that our industry has made in the past few years and I think set a great stage for discussions next year in Reykjavik, namely, on the direction of our industry. We are honoured that the President of Iceland continues his support, also showing the level of commitment the government of Iceland has for geothermal.” so Dr. Bjarni Pálsson, Chair of the WGC 2020 Organising Committee and Head of Geothermal at Icelandic national power company Landsvirkjun.
Time of the event: Monday, April 27, 2020 – 2pm Icelandic time
Other time zones: 11pm (Tokyo), 9pm (Jakarta), 5pm (Nairobi), 4pm (Berlin), 10am (New York), 7am (San Francisco), 2am +1 day (Auckland)
Draft Agenda:
The event will be streamed on the WGC 2020 website.
After the event the papers of the global updates on power and direct use, as well as 88 country updates will be made available for download in the Paper Database of the IGA.
Dear geothermal community,
It is with a heavy heart that we have to announce the postponement of the World Geothermal Congress 2020 in Reykjavik, Iceland, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until next year.
This decision was taken after engaging with various stakeholders; geothermal associations, our sponsors and exhibitors and most importantly, after consulting with the relevant authorities in Iceland. Further to these discussions, it is foreseeable that the hosting of WGC 2020 this spring in Iceland would have been impossible.
As you are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications have been grave and the escalation worldwide in recent weeks and days is very worrying. Both the Organising Committee of WGC 2020 and the International Geothermal Association (IGA) have been monitoring the situation and reviewing all available options. This decision now has not been an easy one, however the health and safety of everyone involved is our first priority.
The preparation for WGC 2020 has been ongoing for almost 6 years now, with thousands of geothermal colleagues; authors, reviewers, sponsors, exhibitors and of course all those already registered, contributing towards making WGC 2020 the largest World Geothermal Congress to date. We feel that by postponing rather than cancelling WGC 2020 outright, we are safeguarding all their hard work. The new date of May 21 – 26, 2021 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is the best solution we have at hand under these unprecedented circumstances. While setting the new date, we have had to account for various limitations such as the availability of Harpa, the Conference Centre, accommodation, religious holidays and of course avoiding conflict with other major geothermal events.
We will strive towards ensuring the Congress program will have only minimal revisions and all the speakers will retain their already allocated slots and all the sponsors and exhibitors will maintain their chosen locations in Harpa and all non-technical events will maintain their designated times and venues.
We sincerely hope that you understand our decision and continue to support WGC 2020 under the circumstances. We acknowledge that for some of you, the new date may not be ideal, but we hope you will be able to participate in the World Geothermal Congress in Iceland next year. The Organising Committee of the World Geothermal Congress is working hard to implement this postponement of WGC 2020 and will communicate with all concerned in due time to make these changes go as smooth as possible.
We will do our utmost to ensure that next year in Reykjavik will be the greatest World Geothermal Congress ever! And last but not least, the Organising Committee and the IGA send their heartfelt support to all those affected in one way or another by COVID-19.
With warm regards,
Alexander Richter
President IGA
Bjarni Pálsson
Chairman Organizing Committee
More information and Q&A:
https://www.wgc2020.com/postponement_of_wgc2020_faq/
+++ Press release +++ International Geothermal Association +++ 27 January 2020 +++
Going into a new decade, geothermal energy is well positioned in the efforts on a global energy transition providing heating, cooling and electricity around the clock
With the beginning of 2020, an exciting year and decade starts for the global geothermal energy community. Convening at the World Geothermal Congress 2020 (www.wgc2020.com) in Reykjavik, Iceland, the geothermal community enters a new period for our industry, rejuvenated and excited with the increasing interest into what geothermal energy has to offer in the global energy transition.
Expecting around 3,000 participants from all over the world, the World Geothermal Congress (WGC) will feature an exciting program, technical sessions, a trade show, side events, field trips and discussions related to everything that geothermal energy has to offer. The great opportunities to show the world the many elements of geothermal energy utilization just in a one-hour radius of the venue for the conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, will allow the industry to highlight the important role it has to offer for a cleaner and sustainable energy future.
The IGA continues on its path to push geothermal development forward globally through its activities, among others representing geothermal at international energy events, its efforts on standards for geothermal resource assessments, engaging with other renewable energy organisations and much more. We are representing geothermal energy as a valid and elementary part of the efforts to decarbonize the energy sector, not only for power generation but also heating and cooling. We are thereby understanding our sector as part of a global renewable energy revolution that is shaping the future how we derive, utilize and sustain energy sources for future generations.
Today, geothermal power plants are operating in 29 countries with a total installed power generation capacity of 15,400 MW at the year-end 2019. The leading countries based on installed capacity are the United States, Indonesia, the Philippines, Turkey, New Zealand and Mexico. With ongoing development an additional 50 countries could see the addition of geothermal power generation to their energy mix. Globally, geothermal power generation capacity could reach 28,000 MW in the next 15-20 years. Over the next 5-year period, with the ongoing development IGA expects development of 4,500 MW in power generation capacity added. Key growth markets remain to be Asia, Africa, Europe and North America.
Support mechanisms introduced by multilaterals, such as the World Bank, and development banks continue to play an important role in getting projects over the big hurdles in the early stages of geothermal development, how sustainable that support is for further development will have to be seen.
The key growth market for the geothermal sector though, will be the heating and cooling market. Targeting an energy transition, the European Green Deal announced by the new European Commission, the heating and cooling market is becoming the center of efforts on an energy market decarbonization. This provides an incredible opportunity for the geothermal sector, that already sees increased interest by energy utilities all over Europe and beyond. Efforts by cities like Munich in Germany, in the Nordic countries and in the Netherlands to tap into geothermal energy for its heating needs show an increased expansion of geothermal development efforts beyond “traditional” geothermal markets in volcanic regions of this world.
The timing of IGA’s World Geothermal Congress 2020 taking place in 27 April to 1 May 2020 in Reykjavik, Iceland is perfect in the current market environment. It allows us to engage the global geothermal energy community, its partners and potential customers to discuss the opportunities and challenges, while also highlight what has been achieved. Being able to showcase how Iceland is utilizing energy to its fullest extent possible is providing an incredibly timely opportunity for the geothermal community.
Alongside many ongoing and planned initiatives, the IGA is striving to create value for the geothermal sector and expand its collective voice on behalf of global geothermal development. These initiatives are already well underway with the deployment of UNFC Specifications for Geothermal Energy Resources, and engagement on the Geothermal Sustainability Assessment Protocol.
IGA is actively taking steps for a deeper engagement with industry on activities and alignment that supports and strengthens our scientific and academic roots. Contact us for details on how you can support us in our efforts to give geothermal energy the attention it deserves.
About the International Geothermal Association (IGA)
Founded in 1988, the International Geothermal Association (IGA) is the international representation of the global geothermal energy industry. With more than 4,000 members in over 65 countries, IGA is a non-political, non-profit, non-governmental organization with consultative status to the UN and special observer status to the Green Climate Fund.
In our representation of
the global geothermal community, we support and promote the sustainable
utilization and development of geothermal energy resources through education,
research, collaboration, and social awareness. We promote and support
geothermal energy, as a sustainable, clean and valuable source of energy for
future generations.
As the association of
associations, IGA currently represents 36 national geothermal associations and
groups, as well as industry and institutions.
IGA website: www.lovegeothermal.org & www.lovegeothermal.org
Website of the World Geothermal Congress 2020: www.wgc2020.com
The new logo of IGA: https://goo.gl/iCixL3 (zip file)
Social Media handles: @lovegeothermal
Media Contact:
Dr. Marit Brommer, Executive Director
E-mail: marit@lovegeothermal.org Mobile: +49 (0) 151 5984 3284
