Engage to help us shape the global geothermal industry on the Board of the IGA
IGA Board Meeting, Reno/ Nevada - October 2018 (source: IGA)
Alexander Richter
26 Oct 2018
Seeking champions in the geothermal world that will join the board of the International Geothermal Association (IGA) to help us continue and shape its important work on promoting geothermal energy globally.
Representing the interests of the geothermal sector is a core element of geothermal associations, but they are doing a lot more to promote geothermal energy and the opportunities it provides. There are a number of different geothermal associations, some with a focus on education and research, some purely on representing industry aspects, others have a purely national focus, or a more of an international focus … and there is the International Geothermal Association (IGA).
The IGA as the only international geothermal organisation independent of individual national interests, is in a key position to play that collaborative role needed change the perception on geothermal energy and promote what it has to offer.
With the upcoming World Geothermal Congress 2020 to take place in Reykjavik, Iceland – a new board will be elected ahead of the event. The process of preparing for the elections is a lengthy process about to start.
To strongly represent our sector, we need on our board people from all segments of our industry, providing the diversity we need to be the representative force of our industry and continue to shape our strategy and the geothermal industry. If you are interested in joining the board and work with us on the big path ahead please be in touch with either myself via iga@thinkgeoenergy.com or with our Executive Director, Marit Brommer at marit@lovegeothermal.org .
If you are a member of a national geothermal association, you are most likely a member of IGA and could potentially join the board. The nomination process will start towards the end of this year.
Throughout the last two years, we have taken big steps on preparing IGA for the future. A new strategic approach to our operation, governance and work, a – long overdue – rebranding, stronger presence on social media and engagement with our international partners are only a few of the things we have been working on. With an increasingly challenging market environment for geothermal energy, our industry needs to adapt and stronger than every promote the opportunities presented by geothermal energy in the global energy transition. With a strong emphasis on regional opportunities for geothermal power generation, the big opportunities for our sector and the largest impact we can have is in direct use of geothermal energy for heating and cooling, food processing and related applications. This requires us to strengthen our message towards governments, international organisations and financial institutions that we need to get on board with us to push for development.
In the past, IGA has been able to strongly rely on the kind support of hosting entities, such as Enel in Italy, Iceland GeoSurvey in Iceland, the International Geothermal Center of the University of Bochum in Germany and our partners in New Zealand, but also on the individual contribution of board members throughout the now 30 years since IGA was founded. Now, we are entering a new chapter with positioning the association more independently and putting it on its own feet. Understanding an association as a business is core to making sure we stay focused on a value proposition for the industry, our partners and the international organisations we are engaging with.
The International Geothermal Association (IGA) functions as an “association of associations,” serving as a coordinating body for the international geothermal community. IGA was founded in 1988 and with approximately 4,000 individual and corporate members in 35 associations in 33 countries, it is the largest representation of the global geothermal energy industry. Its aim, as defined in the Charter of the Association, is to encourage, facilitate and, when appropriate, promote coordination of activities related to worldwide research, development and application of geothermal resources.
For the full list of current members of the IGA Board of Directors for the 2016-2019 period, see the wider team of the IGA (Secretariat & Board members)
Disclaimer: The Author is a board member and President of the IGA
