GEA National Geothermal Summit coming to Reno, Nevada

View over Reno (source: flickr/ RobertCiavarro, creative commons)

Alexander Richter 18 Jun 2014

The U.S. Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) will be holding its fourth annual National Geothermal Summit Tuesday, August 5 and Wednesday, August 6 in Reno, Nevada. The leading forum for western state policy discussions, the National Geothermal Summit will bring together policy leaders, utilities and industry professionals to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the industry.

“Geothermal power is a clean, affordable renewable energy resource, but for the industry to achieve its potential, state and federal policies must line up with industry needs,” noted Karl Gawell.  “By stimulating dialogue on critical issues, the Summit hopes to make a difference in the industry’s future.”

“As a leading geothermal developer who’s brought a project online in Nevada nearly every year for the past decade, we look forward to working together with the various participants of the Summit and embracing this as a springboard toward future development of geothermal in the U.S.,” said Bob Sullivan, Vice-President of Business Development, Ormat, which is co-host of the Summit. “We’re eager to hear the ‘Future of the RPS’ discussions that will be featured on the Summit’s agenda. Key players from the regulatory and utility sectors will provide their vision and, with that, we’ll get a sneak peek into the future of geothermal.”

The Summit is made possible with the support of the City of Reno, Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) and the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy. The Silver State is well represented with policy leadership participating, including Senator Kelvin Atkinson, Nevada Senate District 4; Assemblyman David Bobzien, Nevada Assembly 21; Rebecca Wagner, Commissioner, Public Utilities Commission of Nevada; and Paul Thomsen, Director, Governor’s Office of Energy, State of Nevada.

“The City of Reno is host to numerous geothermal companies and has enough geothermal production within the city limits to power the entire residential load. We are staunch supporters of the industry. We are also proud of our University of Nevada, Reno, which is an international geothermal leader,” said The Honorable Bob Cashell, City of Reno Mayor. “From the Governor and the Legislature to myself and the rest of the Reno City Council, Nevada’s elected officials are supportive of developing renewable energy resources and providing business and political support to ensure success of the industry.”

“While Nevada has excelled at developing geothermal, we’re not done yet! The State of Nevada is committed to the development and exportation of renewable energy by removing barriers and developing better business models. The Governor’s Office is involved in this leading Geothermal Policy Summit to hear from Industry and build on their expertise as we look to continue to grow Nevada’s geothermal development capabilities,” noted Paul Thomsen, Director of the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy.

Thomsen continued: “I hope the Summit highlights and facilities proactive discussion that leads to a roadmap of what the industry needs to do to compete in a changing market place. We have learned from our neighbors to the west that Variable Energy Integration comes at a cost. Can geothermal capitalize on those costs? We see transmission opening up new markets for Nevada based resources. Can geothermal capitalize on these new markets? What is the role of geothermal in emerging energy imbalance markets? Can geothermal move beyond the RPS?”

“Given changes that support the growth of geothermal, much of the region and even the state could be run on geothermal energy alone,” said Mike Kazmierski, President and CEO of EDAWN. “The industry must be properly treated and incentivized as a renewable energy industry to flourish.”

Event and registration details can be found at http://www.geo-energy.org/nationalgeothermalsummit/Main.aspx.