As part of its rebranding, a new website of the Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) was launched in September 2023. The brand-new platform showcases the journey of the KMT from its ideation to its implementation plan, unravelling the tremendous opportunities this initiative offers in terms of revolutionising geoscience as a field, but also geothermal energy and volcano monitoring systems. The website includes the vision and mission of this extraordinary endeavour, the scientific planning to make it happen, and a rich content of resources to learn more about it.

The main attraction of the website is its home page, designed to create an intrigue through a storytelling approach.

Additionally, a new motto was designated: “Igniting Change”. The motto encapsulates the spirit and vision of the KMT, embodying the commitment to driving transformative advancements in geothermal research, volcanic monitoring, and geosciences as whole.

This process was achieved by GEORG, led by its communications team.

New KMT website: https://kmt.is/

New KMT logo: Resources – KMT

New KMT brochure: Resources – KMT

In November 2023, preparations began for the Krafla Magma Testbed Symposium, to take place in Munich, Germany, on April 10-12. Under the theme “Together, toward a greener and safer future”, the KMT Symposium will gather the scientific community from the fields of geosciences and deep-drilling engineering to exchange knowledge relevant to the Krafla system. Further, the Symposium will provide the opportunity for the KMT Team, both executive and scientific/technical, to present the current status of the KMT project to policymakers and the international scientific community.

An important aspect of the Symposium is a closed funding meeting, scheduled to take place on April 10. The KMT Executive Office has invited Government representatives from Iceland, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States to discuss the involvement of these respective countries in KMT. Stefán Guðmundsson, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry for the Environment, Energy, and Resources will represent the Icelandic Government; a delegation from The Italian Ministry of Education, University, and Research will represent the Italian Government; and the Director of Research of the United Kingdom Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will represent the UK at the meeting. Further confirmations of participation have not been received at the time of writing.

An open call for abstracts was issued and 60 abstracts were submitted, all of them directly researching the Krafla region. The Symposium’s Science Committee will assemble the Symposium Program using the submitted abstracts.

On-site preparations are being coordinated by Dr. Yan Lavallée (LMU), supported by the KMT Executive Office in Reykjavík, Iceland.

Link to the symposium page: https://kmt.is/the-krafla-magma-testbed-symposium/

Krafla Magma Testbed was at COP28! The project was represented by GEORG – Geothermal Research Cluster, the coordinator of the KMT Project Office, and the team was a part of the Icelandic business delegation at COP. The participation of the Icelandic delegation was coordinated by Green by Iceland and the KMT team extends its sincerest thanks to the Green by Iceland team for their outstanding work.

During this visit, the KMT team was able to meet with collaborators and parties interested in the project, and it is safe to say that the momentum of KMT is growing rapidly. Read more

GEOTHERMICA project has evolved into the GEOTHERMICA Initiative, with GEORG taking the lead in managing the Office. We support the Cabinet and Members in implementing co-funded calls, assisting with additional activities, and ensuring smooth operations. The vision of the GEOTHERMICA Initiative is to encourage mutual inspiration and activities that strengthen the geothermal energy sector, surpassing individual country efforts.

The mission of the GEOTHERMICA Initiative is to establish a successful platform where public sector representatives collaborate, combining national efforts to accelerate geothermal energy deployment and ensuring its significant role in the global energy transition. The initiative fosters broad, inclusive collaboration while coordinating public research and innovation programs to expedite geothermal energy deployment.

In 2023, GEOTHERMICA played a key role in co-organizing significant meetings within the geothermal community, gathering stakeholders from various groups:

Kick off the GEOTHERMICA Initiative in Iceland
News post http://www.geothermica.eu/news-and-events/geothermica-initiative

Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (#ATES) in the Heating and Cooling Transition in the Netherlands
Recap of the event- http://www.geothermica.eu/ates-workshop-2023/

Low-medium temperature #geothermalheating and cooling solutions for campuses and cities in Ireland
Recap of the event http://www.geothermica.eu/events/dublin-2023/

Roundtable discussions on the Heat Transition and Geothermal Opportunities in Slovenia
Recap here http://www.geothermica.eu/events/round-table-2023/

The Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CETPartnership) is a collaboration focused on research, technology development, and innovation across borders. It aims to boost the shift towards clean energy by combining funding from regional and national Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI) programs. The goal is to support the EU’s aim of becoming climate-neutral by 2050. CETP aims to fund various technologies and solutions needed for this transition by pooling national resources.

With a detailed plan targeting 2030, CETP tackles key challenges of the energy transition, emphasising tangible results and measurable impacts.

GEORG is actively involved in shaping this partnership alongside Orkustofnun and the GEOTHERMICA network. Over the past year, GEORG has contributed to developing monitoring guidelines for partnership calls and refining the impact strategy of funded projects. Our team primarily focuses on organising annual Joint Calls under the Heating and Cooling Challenge (TRI4). We manage the office for this initiative and drive strategic developments to promote the use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling and geothermal energy technologies. This challenge supports various technologies related to heating and cooling, including geothermal energy at all depths, solar thermal applications, systems for buildings, storage solutions, and industrial applications.

https://cetpartnership.eu/

https://cetpartnership.eu/index.php/tri/4

The COMPASS consortium organized its second project meeting and general assembly in Larderello, Italy. Project partners discussed the progress and celebrated the milestones achieved since its start in last November.

The event was hosted by COSVIG (the Consortium for the Development of Geothermal Areas) and included a visit to Larderello geothermal museum, and to the Enel Green Power geothermal power plant where the COMPASS team could get an insight on the long history of geothermal energy in Italy and its pioneering role in the production of this resource. (Read more)

The COMPASS consortium met in Norway where the project’s progress was discussed, and a series of workshops were conducted. GEORG carried a Communications and Intellectual Property workshops, which build on the efforts of dissemination and results exploitation that the cluster leads within the project.

The event was hosted by project’s partner SINTEF and participants were invited to visit the organisation’s labs and research facilities.

In the context of social engagement and science communications efforts within the COMPASS project, GEORG co-authored a publication titled “Communicating geothermal geoscience results to improve public policies and social acceptance of geothermal energy”. The paper showcased among other initiatives the efforts deployed by GEORG in terms of communication and outreach, and over social engagement initiatives to support the deployment of geothermal energy. The initiatives showcased included the weekly #GeothermalFriday, the video series #LetsTalkGeothermal, and DEEPESG’s Book of Publications.

Link to the article: https://eurogeologists.eu/bonciani-communicating-geothermal-geoscience-results-to-improve-public-policies-and-social-acceptance-of-geothermal-energy/

The Geothermal Implementation Working Group (IWG) brings together SET Plan countries, the geothermal industry, and the research community at a European level. Member states of the IWG are Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, The Netherlands, Turkey, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. The IWG also includes representatives from the European Commission, the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), the EERA Joint Programme Geothermal Energy (JPGE), and the Geothermal ETIP. GEORG Geothermal Cluster supports the Geothermal IWG’s activities and runs the secretariat.

GEORG is also partner in the GEOTHERM FORA Project, which aims to facilitate research and innovation (R&I) activities in geothermal systems by supporting the work of the European Technology and Innovation Platform on Geothermal (ETIP-Geothermal) and the Geothermal Implementation Working Group (IWG). GEORG is responsible for the following deliverables: updating the Implementation Plan, Annual Progress Reports, and to monitor the R&I activities and target in the Implementation Plan and of the ETIP DG.

Key activities in 2023 include:

The Geothermal IWG Summer Meeting took place in Reykjavik on 6 of June in a hybrid format. Members received an update on EU policies, discussed IWG Geothermal mission and vision, and the ongoing revision of the Implementation Plan.

The Annual SET Plan Report was submitted in June. The report provides an update on the EU policy landscape.

The revision of the Implementation Plan was finalized in July and submitted in September. https://www.geothermal-iwg.eu/_files/ugd/d2a943_9d8dc3dfe4774e38891675e551aff18c.pdf

GEOTHERM FORA Project meeting took place in Brussels on 8 September to discuss the ongoing progress of the project.

The Geothermal IWG held its winter meeting in Slovenia on 11 December.

The Geothermal IWG co-organised a roundtable event in Slovenia on 12 December which focused on the heat transition and geothermal energy opportunities on Heat Transition & Geothermal Energy Opportunities | Round Table 2023 | Geothermica.

The geothermal IWG’s website was updated Who we are (geothermal-iwg.eu).

GEORG Cluster has its representative in the Steering Committee 2024-2026. ETIP Geothermal is on a mission to expand deep geothermal technology, making it a key player in Europe’s energy landscape and beyond. The GEORG Cluster bring the experience and knowledge which brings together players in the geothermal field to form a strong force for rapid progress and value creation in geothermal research, engineering and design for the benefit of society.

#ETIPGeothermal released the Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda – aiming to shape the strategic plan for research and innovation (R&I) in the geothermal sector.  With the establishment of the new Steering Committee, we aim to drive forward developments and address emerging challenges in the geothermal industry.

Participating in the Steering Committee presents an exciting opportunity for GEORG to expand its international involvement, gaining access to the latest geothermal technologies and exploring their potential benefits.

https://etip-geothermal.eu/press-release/luca-xodo-elected-chairman-of-etip-geothermal-for-2024-2026/

In 2023, GEORG participated in a number of additional activities as part of its mission to support deployment of geothermal energy at global level. These activities were championed by Dr Amel Barich through participation in several panel discussions including one held on Sept. 6^th in Edinburgh, Scotland, as part of the EAGE Near Surface Conference, and another held on Sept. 20^th as part of the US-based online PIVOT conference. The themes for both events were respectively “Building Public trust with Near Surface Industries: A Pathway to Rebuilding the Talent Pipeline Needed for a Green Energy Transition”, and “Building Social and Political Momentum for Geothermal Projects”.

On November 13th, a keynote address was delivered in Rabat, Morocco, highlighting Iceland’s experience in geothermal energy and GEORG’s pivotal role in fostering collaboration across sectors. This presentation marked a significant milestone, coinciding with the inaugural National Geothermal Energy Day in Morocco. The keynote was attended by high-level decision-makers, renowned scientists, and students. Dr Amel Barich who delivered the keynote also participated in a roundtable to discuss avenues for collaboration with key actors in the sector and conducted workshops for three Master-level students groups at the Faculty of Science of Rabat, thus contributing to capacity-building efforts and inspiring the next generation of geothermal specialists.

As part of her role as a board member of the Icelandic Association of Women in Energy, Konur í Orkumálum, Dr Amel Barich led a study on the visibility of women working in the sector on media outlets. The report on the “Fjölmiðlalykill” highlighted the yearly distribution of interviewees in the broadcast media’s news about energy issues. The results were presented in a hybrid event at Samorka, followed by a panel discussion with media professionals and communication experts within the energy and utility sector, highlighting the results and opportunities.

Link to the report: https://konuriorkumalum.is/2023/05/25/fjolmidlalykill-kio-2023/

The World Bank recently published its report on socio-economics benefits of geothermal energy featuring the Social Licence to Operate (SLO) model which GEORG developed within the Crowdthermal Project. Additionally, GEORG, among 40 stakeholders, contributed with further insight on the social and economic benefits of geothermal energy. The report highlighted the importance of the SLO for developers in establishing trust, building and maintaining a positive and long-standing relationship with communities, and contributing to lasting benefits within the communities.

The report can be accessed at the following link.

Download the SLO Model here.

Read the full article on SLO in Geothermal Energy.