Though it is difficult to predict future development, growth of up to 15% per annum for both geothermal power generation and direct heat use is possible for the period to 2010. By 2020, geothermal energy could supply over 5% of the global electricity. The associated savings in fossil fuel use and the reduction in CO2 production would be significant.

To attain these challenging goals for geothermal development several barriers must be overcome. Geothermal energy must become more cost-effective and the difficulties of characterizing the resource prior to major financial commitment surmounted. Obstacles arising from a general lack of public awareness and experience with the technologies, and perceived environmental and social barriers must also be overcome. Geothermal energy has significant positive environmental benefits; however, local impacts must be clearly identified and dealt with openly. The participants in the IEA GIA are working together to surmount these barriers and to achieve the ambitious growth in geothermal energy use possible from the vast worldwide resources available.

The activities of the GIA support and advance the development of geothermal energy in numerous ways. The GIA Executive Committee holds two meetings each year to report on national programmes, share information and results of work conducted in the annexes, consider ongoing issues, and plan future activities. The GIA Secretariat assists the Executive Committee with the production of a comprehensive annual report, the writing of informative documents and of papers for international publication and presentation, and the operation and maintenance of a GIA webpage for worldwide information dissemination. In addition, the results of our annex work are presented in reports, at international conferences and in international journals.

PUBLICATIONS

One of the major objectives of the GIA is to compile and exchange improved information on worldwide geothermal energy research and development. To this end, we participate in many international conferences, publish in international journals and make many of our publications and documents available on-line.

A complete list of publications and websites describing the activities and achievements of the GIA can be found in the annual reports and several other papers and reports are available at Publications. Specific highlights are included below.

ANNUAL REPORTS

The GIA produces a comprehensive and informative annual report, the scope of which increased significantly with the new format initiated in the 2002 edition. The annual reports include major contributions from the task leaders, describing annex activities and accomplishments, including comprehensive lists of publications. The Members and Alternate Members make a significant contribution in the National Activities section, which describes the current geothermal situation in their countries, including: national policy; current status of geothermal energy use (both for electricity generation and direct use); market development, stimulation and constraints; economics; research activities; education and international cooperation.

All GIA annual reports are available for download.

  Annual Report 2005 (pdf, 4.8 MB)

       Executive Summary (pdf, 130 kB)

  Annual Report 2004 (pdf, 3.4 MB)

  Annual Report 2003 (pdf, 2.12 MB)

  Annual Report 2002 (pdf, 1 MB)

  Annual Report 2001 (pdf, 141 kB)

  Annual Report 2000 (pdf, 148 kB)

  Annual Report 1999 (pdf, 110 kB)

  Annual Report 1998 (pdf, 266 kB)

  Annual Report 1997 (pdf, 213 kB)

End of Term Reports

Comprehensive "end of term" (EoT) reports are prepared at the end of each Implementing Agreement's term of operation. They provide a review of the IA's activities and achievements and are submitted to the IEA Renewable Energy Working Party (REWP) and the Committee for Energy Research and Technology (CERT) as part of the process for deciding on the IA's request for extention for another term.  The GIA began its 3rd 5-year term of operation on 1 April 2007, having very successfully completed two 5-year terms (1997-2002, 2002-2007) since its initiation.  The two GIA EoT reports are available:

  GIA 1997-2002 End-of-Term Report (pdf, 80 kB)

  GIA 2002-2007 End-of-Term Report (pdf, 270 kB)

Strategic Plans

GIA Strategic Plans for the periods 2002-2007 and 2007-2012, were prepared under the direction of the IEA Geothermal Implementing Agreement Executive Committee.

  GIA Strategic Plan 2002-2007 (pdf, 344 kB)

  GIA Strategic Plan 2007-2012 (pdf, 200 kB)

Papers, Presentations, etc.

Members and Alternates of the Executive Committee and participants in the annexes regularly participate at international conferences and publish papers in international journals. A selection of presentations and papers is provided below.

Geothermal Resources Council 2006

Geothermal Sustainability- A Review with Identified Research Needs Presentation made at the GRC 2006 Annual Meeting, 10-13 September 2006.

  Presentation (pdf, 495 kB)

European Geothermal Congress 2007

The IEA Geothermal Implementing Agreement (GIA)- Advancing into Its Third Term Presentation made at the European Geothermal Congress 2007, 30 May-1June 2007.

  Text of Paper (pdf, 67 kB)

  Presentation (pdf, 760 kB)

GIA promotional material was distributed, with the assistance of the IEA, at the Day of Geothermal Power side-event held in association with the international Conference for Renewable Energies held in Bonn, Germany, on 1-4 June 2004.

  http://www.renewables2004.de/en/programme/one_day_side_events2.asp

Annex I Environmental Impacts of Geothermal Development

Special Issue on Environmental Aspects of Geothermal Development. Geothermics, 29, 4/5, was published in 2000; and a second issue is now in preparation with publication expected in late 2004/early 2005.

Several papers produced from work in the Annex during 2003 were presented at the International Geothermal Conference 2003 Reykjavik, September 2003; and the 25th New Zealand Geothermal Workshop, November 2003

Annex III Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS)

An economic model that allows the user to define the engineering and financial characteristics and the available geothermal resources of a proposed enhanced geothermal system project to determine the resulting economics and to optimize the plant configuration was completed in 2001 and is available for download on-line. Usefulness of the model has been demonstrated through extensive applications at Fenton Hill (USA), Soultz-sous-Forêts (France), and a site at Hunter Valley (Australia). The model operates on a PC in the Windows environment and is available at:

  http://web.mit.edu/hjherzog/www/.

Several papers representing work conducted in the Annex were presented at the Geothermal Resources Council 2003 Annual Meeting held in Morelia, Mexico, 12-15 October 2003; and the 28th Workshop on Geothermal Reservoir Engineering held at Stanford, California, 27-29 January 2003.

Annex IV Deep Geothermal Resources

Participants in the Annex attended and presented papers at the International Geothermal Conference 2003 Reykjavik, September 2003.

Annex VII Advanced Geothermal Drilling Techniques

The IEA’s Role in Advanced Geothermal Drilling. Presented at the Geothermal Resources Council 2003 Annual Meeting held in Morelia, Mexico, 12-15 October 2003.

  Geo-Drilling (pdf, 190 kB)

The initial stages of a well cost and performance database has been completed with the first group of data entered in it.

The outline for a Geothermal Best Practices Handbook has been developed and will soon be posted on this website for comment.

WGC 2005

Several papers describing the results of work conducted in GIA Annexes are to be presented at the World Geothermal Congress being held in Antalya, Turkey, on 24-29 April 2005

  www.wgc2005.org/