Geothermal Collaboration Through The International Energy Agency Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme

The International Energy Agency Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme (Geothermal TCP) has thirteen nations, the European Commission, and GEOPLAT regularly meeting to share advances occurring in geothermal technology: from shallow low temperature geothermal utilisation to high temperature super-hot supercritical geothermal research.

The Geothermal TCP has operated for some 26 years since March 1997 with the paper canvassing the strengths of the TCP and sharing recent highlights.

Working Group activity is focused on: • Environmental Aspects, • Data Collection and Information, • Deep Roots of Volcanic Geothermal Systems, • Emerging Geothermal Technologies, and • Geothermal Heating and Cooling.

High quality geothermal data, for electrical and non-electrical (direct) uses, is collected, collated, and shared through activities of the IEA Geothermal Technology Collaboration Programme. This sharing is the basis of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes which see independent, world leading experts and agency representatives collaborating to advance research, development, deployment, and commercialisation of energy technologies.

Seminars and workshops are organised for groups or nations where there is seen to be potential to promote the use and uptake of geothermal energy. The Geothermal TCP is active at conferences in delivering papers and exhibiting at booths that freely disseminate information on geothermal energy. Country experiences are shared and collaborative networks established. Much of the Geothermal TCP engagement activity over 2020 and through to mid-2022 was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an exception being the WGC 2020+1 Congress in Iceland on the 24th – 27th October 2021 where IEA Geothermal exhibited at a booth. The presentations from symposia and workshops are made available through the IEA Geothermal website.

There is much to be gained in sharing and working together on energy as the world transitions to low carbon energy.