On an International Spotlight: Representing ISE at the 2018 Iceland Geothermal Conference
ISE Session and students participation at the 2018 Iceland Geothermal Conference (IGC)
REYKJAVIK, May 7 - Last 24-27 April, numerous local and foreign professionals attended the
2018 Iceland Geothermal Conference (IGC) held at Harpa Conference Centre in
Reykjavik, Iceland. The IGC is an international platform that brings together
industry leaders, scientists and policy makers, with over 550 participants
coming from 40 countries. This year, the conference was titled “Breaking
the Barriers” and true to its theme, the conference sessions provided in-depth
discussions, involving 60 speakers from around the world, regarding the
barriers that hinder the development of the geothermal sector and ways to
overcome them. It was fully packed with discussion and presentation sessions,
field trips, networking and even brokerage sessions.
Among the key speakers were the President of Iceland, Gudni Th. Jóhannesson, President of JICA, Shinichi Kitaoka and the Executive Secretary United National framework on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres. The event was also supported by the Icelandic geothermal sector and partners, such as the World Bank Group, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Landsvirkjun, Iceland Geosurvey (ISOR) and Arctic Green Energy, amongst many others.
This year, ISE became a partner of the event. We hosted the
pre-conference event and even held our own session during the conference. Juliet Newson, Director of ISE, was also invited to moderate the opening and
closing events. Meanwhile, the ISE session was
held on Day 2 of the conference. Our student speakers were Samuel Scott, Romain Metge, Daniel Einarsson, Cari Debra Covell, and Jóhann Mar Ólafsson. We could not be prouder of our students for stepping up to this challenge and showcase their projects or research amongst other industry leaders and lawmakers.
Samuel Scott is a post-doctoral fellow at Reykjavik University
and his talk was titled the “New Research Frontiers in Geothermal
Geoscience
Romain Metge, who just recently defended his master thesis,
presented on the “Geothermal Potential Evaluation of the Lausanne Area,
Switzerland”.
Daniel Einarsson, a second year MSc in Sustainable Energy
student, presented his project on "3D Modelling of a Low Temperature Geothermal Field in Mosfellsbær, Iceland".
Cari Covell, who is currently pursuing a PhD in Reykjavik
University, talked about “Statistical Characterisation of Geothermal
Reservoirs”.
Last but not least, Jóhann Mar Ólafsson, presented
about “Geothermal Drone Heat Mapping at Krysuvik”.
ISE was
also solidly represented by ten student delegates. The students took advantage
of not only the speaker sessions, where they gather knowledge on the most
recent geothermal projects, innovations in the industry and barriers to growth,
but also the networking events, where they took the opportunity to connect with
professionals and leaders in the industry.
I definitely saw an increase in interest in not only high-temperature geothermal, but also low-temperature geothermal applications all around the world, especially in Europe. The conference also made me realise how in the bigger picture, geothermal energy has an important role in the climate change dialogue.
Romain Metge, who was also a speaker in the ISE session, added:
The IGC was an incredible opportunity to see the multiple facets of geothermal energy, from the exploration to the engineering. The event also connected you with people from all corners of the world, so this is the best way to gain more information and network. Moreover, this experience was truly unforgettable for me as it was my first time to present my results in an international conference. If I were to do it all over again, I would definitely do it in a heartbeat.
With its longstanding commitment to provide exceptional access to professionals at the forefront of renewable energy resources, ISE lived up to its reputation through its extensive contribution this 2018 IGC and we look forward to the 2020 World Geothermal Congress (WGC) to be hosted in Reykjavik.