Accompanying with the expanding of exploitation of geothermal resources in the worldwide range, new scientific branch of geothermal energy has been established and geothermal industry emerged as an innovative energy industry. International Geothermal Association (IGA) was therefore founded in 1989. The association organized relative organizations and experts from academic circle, industry circle and education circle and government departments and international organizations to develop the international exchange and cooperation, promulgating the geothermal knowledge and technologies.

The World Geothermal Conference held by every 5 year offers a public forum to discuss the recognition and exploitation of geothermal resources. Associated with the world geothermal conference held in Italy in 1995, the International Energy Association (IEA, institute under the UN economy cooperation and development organization, founded in Paris, France) organized the first conference for geothermal expert group, enlisting the geothermal energy into a new renewable energy cooperation schedule initiated by IEA. The following two conferences unambiguously defined 8 items of cooperation tasks for geothermal resource:

         I.            Environment impact on exploitation of geothermal resources;
II.          Geothermal resources in shallow level and heat pump;
III.         Hot dry rock;
IV.         Geothermal resources in the deeper level
V.          Sustainable utilization of geothermal resources
VI.         Geothermal power generation circulation
VII.        Geochemistry on geothermal fluids
VIII.       Low-enthalpy geothermal resources for industrial and process utilization.

IEA drafted the executing agreement on this cooperation schedule on geothermal energy research and technologies.  In accordance with the agreement, the participants on each research field should contribute their required staff, facilities, resources and other support. The participants can come from universities, national labs or institutes, commercial companies, unions, professional associations or craft associations, groups and other institutions that are engaging with the research and technologies development on geothermal energy.

The goads of cooperation schedule on research and technologies development of geothermal energy included

a.        to encourage and promote the reliable and sustainable exploitation in respect of economy and environment, and encourage all level international cooperation in order to ensure the exploitation balance on geothermal resources,

b.        to offer forums, studies, conferences and other meetings associated with the academic sciences and technologies so as to frequently exchange detailed information,

c.        to conduct the international coordination between the researchers, engineers and professionals in order to avoid the overlapped efforts,

d        to make the resource and expertise effectively utilize and reach its utmost benefits,

e.       to increase the recognition on geothermal resources and to enhance the exchange of activity information and achievements on the research, technologies development, implementation and practice of geothermal energy in the worldwide range so as to promote the development and improvement of utilization of geothermal resources.

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