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23 June – 29 September 2022
| Virtual
In the framework of the Global Geothermal Alliance, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) organised a series of webinars and workshops to share experiences, global best practices, and tools and methodologies for supporting the accelerated deployment of geothermal heat in the agri-food sector. The events built on IRENA’s guidebook for policymakers on Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat and the Agency’s flagship publication on Renewable Energy for Agri-food Systems.
Pre-ARGeo C-9 Conference Training Course: 1-2 November 2022, Djibouti, Djibouti
During the 9th African Rift Geothermal Conference (ARGeo C-9) held in Djibouti, IRENA and UNEP co-organised a training programme titled “Powering Agri-food value chains with geothermal heat to enhance food security and climate action” The training programme covered four main topics:
- Mapping of geothermal energy resources and co-location with heating demand
- Technology, Project Development and Financing
- Enabling policies and regulations and cross-sectoral coordination
- Capacity building, awareness creations, sustainability and innovation
See the agenda here.
Presentations:
Introduction
- Overview of geothermal agri-food applications – opportunities and benefits – Jack Kiruja, Associate Programme Officer for Geothermal Energy, IRENA
- Leveraging Renewable Energy in the Agri-food Industry –Manas Puri, UN FAO
Geothermal Resources for Agri-food applications and Demand for energy
- Geothermal Resource and Demand Mapping – Jack Kiruja, Associate Programme Officer for Geothermal Energy, IRENA
- Geothermal resources for agri-food applications in Africa – Direct Use Technical Guide – Meseret Teklemariam, Program Manager for Africa Rift Geothermal Development Programme (ARGeo) and Regional Energy Program Manager for Africa, UNEP
Technology and Project Development
- Direct use project set up, business models, and financing options – Jack Kiruja, Associate Programme Officer for Geothermal Energy, IRENA
- Technological considerations in establishing direct use projects-- Jacques Varet, President, SARL Geo2D
- An approach to develop direct use projects – from concept to commercialization –Martha Mburu, Manager, Geothermal Development Company
- Direct use possibilities in Africa - Martha Mburu, Manager, Geothermal Development Company
Capacity Building, Awareness Creations, Sustainability and Innovation
- Addressing knowledge gaps -- Jack Kiruja, Associate Programme Officer for Geothermal Energy, IRENA
- Building capacity for direct use through Technical Assistance -- Meseret Teklemariam, Program Manager for Africa Rift Geothermal Development Programme (ARGeo) and Regional Energy Program Manager for Africa, UNEP
Enabling Policies, Regulations, Financing
- Enabling framework conditions for geothermal agri-food applications -- Jack Kiruja, Associate Programme Officer for Geothermal Energy, IRENA
- Establishing regulatory framework for direct use deployment – Michelle Ramirez Bueno, Geothermal consultant and WING country representative, Mexico
- Alignment of cross sectoral policies to support direct use deployment – Geothermal Energy Park concept – Peketsa Mangi, General Manager, Geothermal Development, KenGen PLC
- De-risking geothermal resources for direct use (agri-food) applications - Johannes Stollenwerk, GRMF Technical Consultant
Latin-America Workshop: 29 September 2022, San Salvador, El Salvador
The workshop was organised in collaboration with the Government of El Salvador through the Rio Lempa Hydroelectric Executive Commission (CEL)
Presentations:
- Powering Agri-food Value Chains with Geothermal Heat
- Prototypes of Direct Uses in El Salvador
- Geothermal Food Dehydrator Mexico
Agenda and photos are available here.
Africa Webinar: 19 July 2022
The webinar was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme
Presentations and recording are available here.
Global Webinar: 23 June 2022
The webinar was organised in collaboration with the International Geothermal Association and the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation. Presentations and recording available here.
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20 May – 03 June 2022
| Virtual
In the framework of IRENA’s support to Mongolia for the development of a Strategic Heating and Cooling Plan (SHCP), the Agency, organised capacity building workshops to share global best practices for the development of renewable based district heating systems, with the Mongolian stakeholders.
Workshop 1: 20 May 2022
Strategic heating and cooling planning.
Presentations and recording available here.
Workshop 2: 3 June 2022
Enabling framework conditions and addressing technical barriers
Presentations and recording available here.
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23 September 2021 |
In the framework of the International Conference on Smart Energy Systems, and under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) wishes to collaborate with the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC) to co-organise a virtual event to promote the deployment of geothermal energy for heating and cooling. The event will promote the development of district energy networks as a means to increase the share of renewables, including geothermal energy in the heating of building and the supply of domestic hot water. It will facilitate sharing of experiences and best practices as well as highlighting supportive tools, methodologies and options.
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11 August 2021 |
In the framework of the Global Geothermal Alliance, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the Programme on Geothermal Heat Utilization for Industrial Processes in the SICA member countries (GEO II) co-organised a webinar on geothermal direct use in Latin America, with a focus on direct use applications in the agri-food, industrial and urban sectors.
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27 July 2021 |
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), together with the Africa Union Commission (AUC) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) organised an event on 27 July 2021 to support the ongoing efforts by some countries in the East Africa Rift region to develop dedicated geothermal policies and regulatory frameworks. It provided an opportunity for policy makers in those countries to learn from the insights, experiences and best practices of their peers in the region and form Mexico, concerning the development and implementation of enabling policies and regulatory frameworks for geothermal power and direct use.
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22 June 2021 |
The Annual Meeting of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) was held on 22 June 2021. It provided an opportunity for the GGA members and partners to share experiences, and best practices and discuss the opportunities and challenges for geothermal development globally. The members and partners were encouraged to increase collaboration in the framework of the Alliance.
As the facilitator and coordinator of the Alliance, IRENA presented updates of GGA activities for the past year and the next steps for the coming period.
The key achievements of GGA included the publication of the geothermal market assessment report for East Africa and the Guidebook for integrating low-temperature renewables, which were developed through a consultative process involving experts drawn from the Alliance. Capacity-building activities for policymakers to promote geothermal energy deployment in district heating and cooling systems were implemented in Belarus and China.
The development of the GGA knowledge-sharing platform – revamp of the GGA website – continued with the bringing online of the geothermal regional and country profiles. The profiles contain information relating to installed capacity for electricity and heat, the programmes instituted at the country or regional level to support geothermal development and existing regulatory frameworks, among others.
The report highlighting the key lessons and recommendations from the pilot implementation of the Specifications for the Application of the United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC-2009) to Geothermal Energy Resources was launched during the meeting. Key partners provided the status, challenges as well as opportunities for implementing the UNFC to geothermal projects.
The participants pointed out the increasing importance of geothermal direct use, particularly in the agri-food sector. Representatives of various members and partners shared the achievements and challenges of implementing direct use projects. The contribution of the members in supporting GGA and geothermal development globally was also acknowledged.
Going forward, GGA will continue supporting all efforts by the industry to raise the profile of geothermal energy. Geothermal can play a more significant role in the climate context, including in the realization of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The UN high-level dialogue on energy and the COP 26 were identified as the key event where geothermal energy could be included in the global agenda. IRENA informed the GGA constituency that it would be seeking to review, and if necessary, adjusted the priority areas of the GGA to ensure that they reflect the needs of the rapidly changing energy transition landscape.
The presentations from the meeting are available here:
• Update of GGA activities
• Launching of the UNFC pilot training report
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Geothermal food drying
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09 March 2021 |
In the framework of the “Energy Solutions for Cities of the Future” project, and under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance, IRENA has organised a virtual workshop with a focus on China on 9 March 2021 titled “Integrating low-temperature renewables in district energy systems,”. The workshop was organised in collaboration with Aalborg University, Denmark with the support of the Chinese Renewable Energy Engineering Institute (CREEI).
The objective of the workshop was to increase the knowledge of policymakers at the national, provincial and local levels; urban planners; district heating utilities; etc on the options and available tools for facilitating the integration of renewable energy applications in district heating and cooling networks.
Presentations and recording are available here.
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03 – 04 February 2021
| Virtual, with a focus on Belarus
IRENA organized a virtual workshop on 3-4 February 2021 titled “Integrating low-temperature renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling systems.” The workshop focused on Belarus, and was organized in collaboration with the State Committee for Standardisation of the Republic of Belarus and with technical input from Aalborg University, Denmark.
The objective of the workshop was to equip district heating and cooling stakeholders in Belarus, including policymakers at the national, regional and local levels; urban planners; district heating operators/utilities; etc. with knowledge on the options and tools for integrating low-temperature renewable energy sources in district heating and cooling networks.
Presentations and recording are available here.
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20 April – 26 May 2020
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The objective of the webinars is to disseminate information to policy makers at the national and local level, on the available options and tools for enabling the integration of low-temperature renewable energy sources, including low-temperature geothermal energy resources, into new and existing district heating and cooling networks.
The webinars, organised in partnership with the Aalborg University, will take place on the following dates in April and May 2020:
Webinar 1: 20 April 2020
Strategic heating and cooling planning for the integration of low-temperature renewable energy sources in district energy networks: What key success factors?
Presentations and recording available here
Webinar 2: 14 May 2020
Enabling framework conditions, financing and business models for district energy networks
Presentations and recording available here
Webinar 3: 26 May 2020
Integration of low-temperature renewable energy sources into existing district energy networks and buildings - Overcoming technical challenges
Presentations and recording available here
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11 – 12 January 2020
| Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
In the framework of the Tenth Session of IRENA Assembly, IRENA organised a thematic meeting of the Global Geothermal Alliance on 12 January 2020.
During the meeting of the GGA, representatives from Members and Partners and other key stakeholders discussed the status of the geothermal activities undertaken under the umbrella of the Alliance as well as the challenges, experiences and possible solutions to support geothermal development at national and regional level. The activities discussed include, among others, a geothermal market assessment for electricity and direct use in Eastern Africa, capacity building on the integration of low-temperature renewable energy resources in district heating and cooling networks and the joint IGA/IRENA/World Bank project on the classification of geothermal resources in accordance with the specifications for the application of UNFC-2009 to geothermal energy resources.
The presentations from the event are available here.
- Global Geothermal Alliance: Updates on activities in 2019
- Deploying UNFC Geothermal
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05 – 06 December 2019
| Belgrade, Serbia
Under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance, IRENA organised a capacity building event on the “Integration of low-temperature renewable energy sources in district heating systems” in collaboration with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD); and back-to-back with a complementary event led by the bank on the Renewable District Energy in the Western Balkans (ReDEWeB) Programme. The event was held in the framework of the IKI project, “Energy Solutions for Cities of the Future”, and contributed to increasing the knowledge of local and national policy-makers and key stakeholders; on options and existing tools to facilitate fuel switch to low-temperature renewable energy in district heating and cooling in cities, particularly geothermal energy. The Agenda and the presentations for the event are available here.
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05 – 07 February 2019
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
IRENA, the International Geothermal Association (IGA) and the World Bank co-organised a technical session with the Geological Survey of Ethiopia (under the Ministry of Mines) and UN Environment. The group trained local stakeholders on the UNFC specifications to geothermal energy and gathered information for the application in pilot fields in Ethiopia. The event was organised in the framework of a project currently undertaken by IRENA, IGA and the World Bank’s ESMAP, under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance.
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12 January 2019 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Side event of the Global Geothermal Alliance was held in the framework of the Ninth Session of the IRENA Assembly.
This meeting, took place on 12 January from 13:15 to 14:15, and provided the opportunity to share insights and experience on geothermal power and heat as well as to facilitate networking between GGA members and partners as well as other key stakeholders.
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05 – 07 December 2018
| Saint Lucia
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Commission (OECS) together with International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the International Geothermal Association (IGA) and the World Bank organised the Geothermal Energy Roundtable and United Nations Framework Classification (UNFC) Training Course for Geothermal Energy on 5th -7th December 2018, in Saint Lucia.
The event brought together key experts and decision-makers from the region to help advance and initiate regional cooperation for geothermal energy. The dialogue was followed by a training workshop that introduced the UNFC classification as part of a project currently undertaken by IRENA, IGA and the World Bank’s ESMAP, under the umbrella of the Global Geothermal Alliance. Programme and summary report are available on the OECS’s website here.
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24 April 2018 | Reykjavík, Iceland
Two events of the Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA) took place in framework of the Iceland Geothermal Conference.
For presentations of both events click here. For the Outcome paper of the “Regional Cluster workshop: Strategies for future collaboration” click here.
The first event on “Geothermal Direct Utilisation and Food Security” offered participants the chance to identify the key factors behind successful experience and presented partnership opportunities for projects and programmes related to the direct uses of geothermal energy with focus on food and agriculture.
The second GGA event, “Regional Cluster workshop: Strategies for future collaboration”, aimed to strengthen collaboration between regional and national industry platforms. The purpose of this event was to identify strategies which can be jointly developed or supported by industry clusters to promote geothermal development globally.
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20 – 23 March 2018
| Flores Island, Indonesia
The International Geothermal Association, IRENA, and the World Bank/ESMAP organised a technical session to collect data and train Indonesian government officials and project developers on the application of the United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009 (UNFC-2009) to geothermal prospects on the island of Flores. The session kick-started a joint project undertaken in the framework of the Global Geothermal Alliance.
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31 January – 02 February 2018
| Nairobi, Kenya
The workshop, organised with the support of the Government of Japan, gathered participants from governments, utilities, public and private companies as well as international, regional, and local financial institutions. The event allowed to assess the geothermal market status in East Africa, identify the main options to overcome the barriers that countries and project developers still face in the region, share best practices and innovative models to finance operations, including geothermal risk mitigation mechanisms, and explore how technical assistance can effectively support the scaling up of geothermal energy in the region.
Key findings available here.
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22 November 2017 | Online
IRENA organized a webinar on 22 November 2017 on the development of bankable geothermal power projects. Experts in the field discussed best practices to assist project developers in developing bankable geothermal power projects. View the webinar
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16 November 2017 | Bonn, Germany
Organised within the framework of the UNFCCC COP23 in Bonn, this High-Level Roundtable on will gather high-level representatives to examine how geothermal energy can play a role in the achievement of decarbonisation goals and in the implementation of nationally determined contributions. The event will also offer an opportunity to discuss how the GGA can further contribute to facilitating the exchange of experiences and best practices, mobilising finance to unlock geothermal investments and providing modern and sustainable energy services for all countries.
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07 November 2017 | Frankfurt, Germany
ICG Invest Geothermal addresses today’s burning issues in geothermal investment in creating and fostering an investment and financing ecosystem to provide a line of informed public and private equity to fuel growth. Organised by ThinkGeoEnergy and Enerchange in partnership with GGA partners EGEC and World Bank, the event will be focusing on important elements of investing in geothermal energy development, such as risk mitigation, early stage financing, market incentives, blended financing options, multi-player projects and exit strategies.
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11 – 12 September 2017
| Florence, Italy
The first high-level conference of the Global Geothermal Alliance took place on 11 September 2017 in Florence, Italy. The meeting was attended by 230 high-level public, intergovernmental, non-governmental and senior private sector representatives. Under the terms of the ‘Florence Declaration’ – an outcome of the meeting – governments reaffirmed the commitment to work together to identify and implement measures that will significantly increase the speed of geothermal energy development around the world.
Agenda, presentations, and pictures of the conference are available here
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21 – 22 August 2017
| San Salvador, El Salvador
During two days, 21-22 August 2017, representatives from the governments of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama as well as geothermal experts from the region and beyond exchanged views on the state of play and the key areas of support required to accelerate the deployment of geothermal energy in Central America.
The second day of the workshop included the presentation of best practices from around the world and a visit to the Ahuachapán Geothermal Field and Power Plant.
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23 – 26 October 2016
| Sacramento, USA
The event brought together geothermal leaders, developers, and exhibitors to exchange expertise and discuss geothermal developments in USA and abroad. It also featured an opportunity to familiarize the US stakeholders with the activities of GGA.
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19 – 23 September 2016
| Strasbourg, France
Organised every 3 years, the European Geothermal Congress is the largest geothermal event in Europe. It also offered a platform to organize the GGA Meeting on Risk Mitigation and Project Financing
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18 January 2016 | Abu Dhabi, UAE
The first gathering after the official launch of the initiative, aimed at collecting views on the priority areas of action for the Alliance.
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08 December 2015 | Paris, France
The Global Geothermal Alliance has been launched at the COP 21 by a coalition of countries as well as development and industry partners.
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15 – 16 June 2015
| Nairobi, Kenya
The event served as a platform to discuss the concept of the Global Geothermal Alliance initiative.
