Prof. Sigurður Magnús Garðarsson– Dean and Professor, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland & Hjalti Páll Ingólfsson– Managing Director of GEORG
The past operating year was a busy year for GEORG with the continued hard work of running offices for several international research and coordination projects. But also seeking new projects and funding. With that respect, GEORG took part in a few project applications last year, some of which were successful. That is now materializing into three grant agreements of over 250 MISK in value over the project’s periods.
In early spring GEORG moved to a new office at Gróska, in Vatnsmýrin, a very inspiring and energetic environment and we like it there.
The World Geothermal Congress concluded in an exceptional year-long edition, with 5 online events and a successful hybrid event in Reykjavik on 24-27 October. The event truly marked a milestone for GEORG. From the beginning when preparing the bid to the IGA in 2015 until the wrap-up and closing of it all now in 2021, we have been tirelessly working behind the scenes to support the planning, organization, and implementation of this long-awaited conference, and we are proud of the outcome and happy to witness this amazing international geothermal gathering in Reykjavik. Our team at GEORG also organized a European Research and Innovation Pavilion at the congress representing over 30 projects, supported by the GEOTHERMICA network and the H2020 program. The booth received well-deserved attention and got the best in show award. GEORG graphic designers managed the visual coverage of the conference and captured great shots from the conference available now on Flickr at WGC 2020 | Flickr
The Krafla Magma Testbed (KMT) project is probably the most ambitious project GEORG is running. The project aims to create a unique world-class research infrastructure on magma research, by drilling into magma at Krafla. It will provide the major leaps forward in the understanding of geothermal energy and its utilization, as well as in the understanding of magma storage, volcanic hazards, and forecasting of volcanic eruptions. The preparation for the first borehole is now underway and the team has been awarded funding from the government of Iceland and the ICDP to start the work.
Another ambitious project GEORG is running is the GEOTHERMICA network. This is a network of funding agencies and funding program owners in Europe, collaborating with the aim of accelerating and promoting research and innovation in geothermal energy to make geothermal energy reliable, safe, and cost-competitive. The network is coordinated by Orkustofnun, and GEORG runs its project office. The GEOTHERMICA network goes back 10 years or till the start of the Geothermal ERA-NET in 2012. Ever since GEORG has been at the forefront of the cooperation, right beside Orkustofnun and through the work gained valuable expertise and reputation. This has now led to the fact that GEORG is now one of the leaders of Europe’s Energy Transition plans, the Clean Energy Transition Partnership (CEPT) where GEORG will be running the Transition Initiative on Heating and Cooling.
This short summary is only the tip of the iceberg and success like this requires long days of hard work and preparation, and the dedication of the staff we are lucky to have. This also shows that GEORG is no longer an experiment, we are an ambitious platform with a clear vision and purpose. We are extremely proud of the team behind GEORG, and we look forward to the tasks ahead.
Prof. Sigurður Magnús Garðarsson– Dean and Professor, School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland & Hjalti Páll Ingólfsson– Managing Director of GEORG
GEORG is a resilient, strong, and independent cluster cooperation, as last year demonstrated. The COVID-19 year, 2020, will be remembered as the year of many challenges, adoptions, and new working ways. It taught us that even though we master new online teamwork techniques, making it in many ways more efficient and economic, the need for direct human communication and connection is ever more necessary.
We look forward to meeting our friends again, hopefully before the end of this year, and we are optimistic enough to believe that by the end of October, we will all be able to meet in person at the WGC2020+1 in Harpa Reykjavik.
Despite the challenges of 2020, GEORG continues to grow, with yet again a record-breaking turnover of over 106MISK. We managed to conclude the DEEPEGS project with an elegant book of publications summarising the projects science work. We continued to operate GEOTHERMICA Office, fostering the growth of the network even further. In 2020 a second call was concluded, and in 2021 we will be managing a joint call between GEOTHERMICA and the JPP Smart Energy Systems network, focusing on heating and cooling. GEORG’s important task is to be the Secretariat for the Deep Geothermal Implementation Working Group (DG-IWG). The DG-IWG aims to move forward with the Deep Geothermal Implementation Plan (DG-IP), endorsed by the SET–Plan Steering Committee, in order to reach the goals of placing Europe at the forefront of the low carbon energy scene. GEORG is taking an active part in running the GECO project office together with the Projects Coordinator, Orkuveita Reykjavíkur. We lead the project’s communication and cost/benefit analysis of the technology, to name a few tasks. Finally, GEORG has taken an active part in the exciting projects GEOENVI and Crowdthermal and pushed through several significant project proposals, internationally and domestically.
The year 2020 was a turning point for the KMT (Krafla Magma Testbed) project. Following extensive preparation work and strong international support to the project, the Icelandic Government was willing to support the project with a 100MISK founding grant. In addition to that, the project lead is in negotiation with funding authorities in the UK, Iceland, and Italy to further support towards the project to fully finance its initial steps towards a complete magma testbed at Krafla.
The minister of tourism, industry and innovation recently introduced a new cluster strategy for Iceland. The strategy sets out a vision that by 2030 Iceland will be one of the World’s leading nations in terms of sustainable economic development, competitiveness, and general prosperity. We celebrate this new strategy and appreciate its acknowledgement of the importance of cooperation like GEORG. Renewable energy, and geothermal in particular, are among the strongest pillars of Iceland‘s economy and hold enormous innovation opportunities in terms of a circular economy, sustainability and carbon neutrality. GEORG will continue to foster cooperation, build bridges, and support innovation, for Iceland to maintain its competitive advantage in renewable energy utilisation. Together, we can make Iceland the leading nations in terms of sustainable economic development and competitiveness by 2030.
