Nearly 1,000 attendees from 35 different countries gather for the largest annual meeting of the global geothermal energy community
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| Click for photos from the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GeoExpo+ |
At the Opening Session, GRC Annual Meeting Chair Joe Moore welcomed the attendees from 35 different countries and introduced an array of speakers from the regional, national and global energy communities in lively interactive panel sessions.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert addressed a large audience at the meeting’s Opening Session at the Salt Palace Convention Center. “We believe an additional 1,500 megawatts of (geothermal) electrical energy generation can be produced in Utah, and who knows what the future will be with additional technology and advancements on the research? The good news is it’s a continuous, good, clean source of affordable power, which will help us with our baseload needs as we go forward as a country.”
Despite the relative stagnation in the domestic U.S. geothermal energy industry, the event was deemed a success. With more development taking place in international geothermal energy, there was more attendance this year from countries outside of the USA. The numbers tell the story - 638 attendees registered with the GRC for the Annual Meeting including 80 students. The GRC registration also included entry to the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) GeoExpo+.
Over four days attendees were treated to over 220 technical presentations totaling 75 hours, bringing the latest geothermal research from around the world. On display were over 45 posters and the winners of the prestigious 39th GRC Geothermal Photo Contest.
Over 50 attended the pre-meeting workshops on Geothermal Resource Decision and the GRC Ambassador Program. Nearly 50 travelled to Yellowstone National Park and Southern Utah on GRC Fieldtrips to view some superb geology, geothermal features and enjoy some useful networking.
At the meeting, the GRC recognized individuals for outstanding contributions to the Geothermal Resources Council and to the development of geothermal resources around the world with the prestigious GRC Awards. The Joseph W. Aidlin Award was presented to Joseph N. Moore, the Geothermal Pioneer Award to James B. Koenig, the Henry J. Ramey Jr. Award to Sabodh K. Garg and the Ben Holt Award was awarded to Kevin Kitz. Other awards were presented to individuals for a variety of achievements in the field of geothermal energy.
Demonstrating the focus on international involvement at the meeting, the GRC hosted the 10th International Luncheon with presentations on the exciting developments in geothermal energy around the world. This popular event attracted 199 attendees.
A popular networking opportunity, the annual GRC Charity Golf Tournament was held at the Mountain Dell Golf Course. Over 40 golfers played for charity with proceeds going to the GRC Student Scholarship program.
This year's GRC Scholarships were awarded to Travis Broadhurst (University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill), John Grill (Montana Tech of the University of Montana), Jon Golla (University of New Mexico), Steven Sewell (Victoria University), Daniel “Burke” Brunson (University of North Dakota) and Emma McConville (University of Nevada – Reno).
The social highlight of the meeting was the GRC Mixer, held at the spectacular Natural History Museum of Utah. This very popular networking event attracted 282 attendees.
Held in tandem with the GRC Annual Meeting, the GEA GeoExpo+ featured 78 exhibits showcasing the latest in geothermal technological advancements. The GEA reports about 310 attendees, including booth staff, guests and registrants , who signed up for the trade show only.
For more information about next year’s 42nd GRC Annual Meeting & Expo in Reno, Nevada, USA, from October 14-17, visit www.geothermal.org/meet-new.html or call (530) 758-2360.
