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Women in Geothermal (WING) Türkiye to lead Global Op team 2023-2026

Women in Geothermal (WING) Türkiye to lead Global Op team 2023-2026 WING Turkiye group (source: WING)
Alexander Richter 8 Aug 2022

The Turkish chapter of Women in Geothermal (WING), WING Türkiye will be taking over the Global Operations for this important advocacy group for women in the geothermal sector globally.

Women in Geothermal (WING) Türkiye, established in October 2016, will become the new WING Global Operations Team in April 2023.  Leading WING’s 2500+ members from 80 countries, the Türkiye-based Global Operations Team will develop and implement new initiatives that broaden the scope of WING activities to advance gender equality in the geothermal community.

Women in Geothermal (WING) is a global network that aims to promote the education, professional development, and advancement of women in the geothermal community.

Umut Destegül Solaroglu, co-founder of the WING Türkiye team and Türkiye WING Ambassador, wIll become the new WING Global Chair.  Upon learning that the Türkiye team had been selected to lead WING, Umut offered this comment:  “This is a great achievement through the efforts of our whole team and brings with it great responsibility.  We plan to build a structure to address gender inequality whilst keeping aligned with WING’s core values:  Courage, Empowerment, Caring, and Openness.”

Initiated at the Geothermal Resources Council (GRC) Annual Meeting in Las Vegas in 2013, WING seeks to raise awareness of gender inequality in the geothermal energy community and advance equal rights and conditions for women.  Since its inception, WING has been recognized for its efforts to empower women locally and internationally.

WING Türkiye officially applied for the WING Global Operations role in April 2022.  Thereafter, the Türkiye team was shortlisted, undertook interviews, shared their vision and tactical plan to build upon and advance the efforts of WING, and was awarded the role in June 2022.  WING Türkiye, with more than 250 members, is excited to represent the international geothermal community, and will continue the tradition of carrying out WING activities entirely on a voluntary basis.

When referring to the selection of the WING Türkiye team for this role, the selection committee said: “Your enthusiasm and capability to take on this role was obvious.  We cannot imagine any other WING Team as ready as you are to take on the privilege of leading the WING organization.  We recognize your demonstrated ability to deliver WING initiatives and applaud your determination!”

With 1.7 GW installed, Türkiye ranks fourth in the world and first in Europe for geothermal power.   In addition, Türkiye has many district heating systems and greenhouses that are supplied by geothermal fluids.  This geothermal success demonstrates Türkiye’s determination to move forward, showcasing Turkish women who advance geothermal projects and provide leadership in the renewable energy sector.

The hand-over of the WING Global Operations Team from the USA to Türkiye for its 3-year term will take place at the World Geothermal Congress in Beijing in April 2023, which coincides with the 10oth anniversary of the Turkish Republic.

For more information about Women in Geothermal and becoming a WING member, please visit WING’s website.