The Geothermal Direct Use: Global Forum & Tour (GDU Global) agenda featured a rich array of content designed to engage, inform and educate a world-wide community of leaders on Geothermal Direct Use. Think of it as a global tour of best-in-class GDU projects accompanied by how-to guides providing all the financing, policy, and regulatory guidance needed to take meaningful steps towards GDU.
Taking place over the course of three days, the GDU Global agenda comprised the following:
Day 1: Why Geothermal Direct Use? – Why does GDU matter and why should you take steps to implement now?
Understanding the fundamentals and benefits of Geothermal Direct Use
Then: join us on an around-the-world tour showcasing successful global projects, each followed by Q&A sessions with the ground-breakers who made it happen.
Day 2: Making it Happen – We’ve made the case for GDU, now how do we make it happen?
What does the ideal enabling environment look like: financing, policy, and regulatory considerations needed to scale up geothermal direct use
Hear from The World Bank|ESMAP experts on policy and regulatory best practice; grill them for deeper insights
Then: join us as we ask project and policy leaders to talk us through how they put theory into practice to develop GDU
What financial and programmatic resources are available to countries seeking to develop GDU?
Join “GDU Industry Idea Labs”. Meet peers from around the world at industry-themed networking lounges. Learn how they are implementing GDU.
Day 3: Going Deeper –Over the course of Day 3 we’ll be asking our experts to probe and explore some of the other considerations that make for a successful project development environment.
How does GDU impact communities? Understanding environmental and social impacts and considerations
How can we make GDU more bankable? The power of clusters and cascaded use to drive economies of scale
Then: Join us in the global coffee and cocktail lounge for an “Ask Me Anything” session led by ESMAP experts
All attendees had access to the GDU Knowledge Hub, a deep resource comprising on-demand content across a wide range of technical, policy, financing and regulatory issues.
Clean, Competitive, Sustainable & Scalable: Making the Case for Geothermal Direct Use (GDU)
• How do you evaluate whether GDU is right for you?
• What are the range of applications and locations in which GDU makes sense?
• Evaluating the economics of GDU against other conventional sources of heat
• What impact can GDU have on decarbonization goals?
• What are some of the other upsides of GDU? e.g. job creation and diversity.
• A look at the roadmap and timeline for implementing a project
International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Associate Programme Officer, Geothermal EnergyModerator
Round the World Tour of Direct Use at Work
World leading operators of geothermal direct projects will showcase their projects via Virtual Tours, providing a unique on-the-ground perspective of successful projects and installations. Join us after each tour for live Q&A with the project owners/operators.
Deshidratador Geotermico de Alimentos de Nayarit (DGA de Nayarit) Partner
Networking
See someone specific in the attendees list who you want to connect with? You can chat with them, invite them to a video call and schedule a video meeting with up to four fellow attendees – all on the event platform
The World Bank will deliver the key findings from their ground-breaking report “DIRECT UTILIZATION OF GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES”, quantifying the economic, social, and environmental benefits, and creating a roadmap for wider direct use by addressing the barriers.
The World Bank | ESMAP Senior Energy SpecialistModerator
Policy-Making in Practice: Examining Direct use Policy-Making Around the Globe
⦁ Building consensus for applications and navigating the key stakeholders
⦁ What support for framework design and/or funding was provided?
⦁ Examining the impact of the GDU
⦁ What does your framework look like?
⦁ Key takeaways
Expand your network in the Flash Networking room, where you can try 90-second, roulette-style pairings with other attendees. It’s the perfect way to get quick introductions and exchange contact information
How do we Design and Build Supportive Regulatory and Legal Frameworks to Scale up Direct use?
• What laws are needed to give priority to geothermal resource development?
• Building an institutional framework that connects authorities, bodies, and agencies
• Understanding developer and authorities rights and obligations
• Clarifying owner and exploitation rights for direct and indirect use
• Navigating licensing terms and application
Accessing Finance: Successful Strategies for Increased Bankability and Risk Mitigation
⦁ Who is currently funding GDU?
⦁ What are financiers looking for in projects?
⦁ To what extent are commercial banks willing to use their balance sheet?
⦁ What terms are financiers funding on?
⦁ Practical steps to enhance the bankability of your project
⦁ Risk mitigation solutions for the initial exploration phases
⦁ How are public and private financiers collaborating on deals?
• Creating short and long term employment opportunities
• The preparatory steps needed to make an impact on gender equality
• Integrating communities
• How to build a consensus
• Case studies
International Geothermal Association Executive DirectorModerator
How Can GDU Drive Economies of Scale, Competitiveness, and Profitability?
• Utilizing resources to create residual revenue streams
• How can GDU meet the objectives of the circular economy through efficient use?
• Leveraging multi-use of material and energy from geothermal developments to benefit a range of sectors from tourism to high technology
maximising revenue streams and profitability through cascaded use
• In practice: Resource utilization at industrial parks
