Renewable Energy
Renewable Energy | Geothermal
Introduction to Geothermal Energy
Format and Duration:
5 days
Geothermal energy is a growing sector within the renewable energy industry, offering clean, sustainable, and continuous power generation. This course provides a detailed introduction to geothermal energy, covering:
- The science of geothermal energy – Understanding the Earth’s internal heat.
- Technologies for harnessing geothermal power – From direct use applications to power generation.
- Community engagement and environmental considerations – Managing risk and public perception.
- Geothermal project development and financing – Understanding the full lifecycle from exploration to operation.
- Global policy frameworks and regulatory considerations – Learning from leading geothermal markets.
- Hands on geothermal project planning – Developing real-world project roadmaps.
By the end of the course, participants will have a strong foundation in geothermal energy, enabling them to engage in the industry, participate in project planning, and understand the challenges and opportunities of geothermal development.
This course is delivered in partnership with Black Reiver Consulting Ltd.
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures, discussion, case studies, and practical exercises.
- Instructor led interactive sessions with real-world case studies and discussions.
- Step by step explanations of geothermal energy systems and project development.
- Group exercises and simulations to reinforce learning through application.
- Roleplay activities to develop stakeholder engagement and risk communication skills.
- Final project challenge where participants develop and present their own geothermal project plan.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn how to:
- Explain the fundamentals of geothermal energy and how it is harnessed.
- Differentiate between various geothermal technologies and their applications.
- Understand the environmental and social considerations of geothermal projects.
- Assess the risks and public perceptions of geothermal development.
- Engage effectively with stakeholders to support project success.
- Understand the policy and regulatory landscape governing geothermal energy.
- Develop a geothermal project roadmap, from concept to operation.
- Analyse real-world case studies and compare different global approaches to geothermal development.
Course Content
1. An Introduction to Geothermal Energy
- What is Geothermal?
- Understanding Geothermal Energy – The Earth’s internal heat and its potential.
- Types of Geothermal Systems – Shallow ground systems, deep petrothermal, and hydrothermal reservoirs.
- Global Geothermal Resources – Key geothermal hotspots worldwide.
- Historical Uses & Modern Applications – From ancient thermal baths to power generation.
2. Harnessing Geothermal Energy
- How geothermal energy is extracted and converted.
- Geothermal power plants – Dry steam, flash steam, and binary cycle technologies.
- Direct use applications – Industrial heating, agriculture, district heating, and spas.
3. Geothermal Technology Types
- Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS) – Creating reservoirs in low permeability rock.
- Binary vs. Flash Steam Technologies – Efficiency and operational differences.
- Ground Source Heat Pumps (GSHPs) – Residential and industrial applications.
- Advances in geothermal drilling and reservoir stimulation.
4. Geothermal for the People – A Community Resource
- Risk and Perception
- Public concerns & environmental impacts – Seismicity, land use, and water use.
- Risk assessment & mitigation strategies – Managing environmental and operational risks.
- Health and safety considerations in geothermal projects.
- The role of education & transparency – How to address public fears and misconceptions.
5. Stakeholder Engagement
- The role of local communities, governments, and industry stakeholders.
- Best practices for community engagement and trust building.
- Legal and regulatory requirements for public consultations.
- Participatory decision making in geothermal projects.
6. Making It Happen – Policy & Project Development
- Policy, laws and Regulation
- National and international geothermal energy policies.
- Regulatory frameworks – Exploration, permitting, environmental impact assessments, and licensing.
- Incentives and subsidies for renewable energy projects – Tax credits, feed-in tariffs, and carbon pricing.
7. Delivering a Geothermal Project
- Feasibility studies – Geological, financial, and environmental evaluations.
- Project development phases – Exploration, drilling, construction, and commissioning.
- Funding and financing models – Government incentives, private investment, and risk sharing mechanisms.
- Risk management throughout the project lifecycle.
8. Planning a Geothermal Project
- Geothermal Geology basics
- Plate tectonics and geothermal energy – Understanding heat flow and geological settings.
- Identifying potential geothermal sites – Heat flow, permeability, and water availability.
- Geothermal exploration techniques – Seismic surveys, well logging, and thermal gradient analysis.
- Reservoir engineering basics – Maximizing heat extraction and reservoir sustainability.
9. Be the Developer (Interactive Project Simulation)
- Simulating the geothermal development process – Geological exploration, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and financing.
- "Cheese is Life" activity – Using real world data and scenarios, participants navigate geothermal project development challenges.
10. Geothermal Development in Action
- Seeing is Believing – Heat, Power, and Lithium in Cornwall
- Real world geothermal projects in Cornwall, UK – United Downs Deep Geothermal Power Project, The Eden Project, and The Cornish Lithium Project.
- Multiuse geothermal projects – Electricity generation, district heating, and lithium extraction from brines.
- Economic and environmental benefits of integrated geothermal developments.
- The potential of geothermal powered lithium production for EV batteries.
11. Course Recap & Future Planning
- Summary of key lessons learned – Technology, policy, project development, and stakeholder engagement.
- Q&A session for final discussions and clarification.
- Future trends in geothermal energy – Emerging technologies and market developments.
This foundational training program provides participants with a practical understanding of geothermal energy and its real-world applications. Participants will leave with the knowledge and tools to engage in geothermal project development, policy discussions, and community engagement initiatives. This course can be tailored to regional policies, local geothermal resources, and specific industry needs.
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This course is ideal for:
- Professionals entering the geothermal industry who need a comprehensive introduction.
- Community stakeholders & policymakers looking to support geothermal projects.
- Local government officers charged with oversight of geothermal projects
- University students & recent graduates interested in renewable energy careers.
- Engineers, geoscientists, and project managers involved in geothermal energy projects.
- Investors & financial analysts assessing geothermal opportunities.
Instructors
Kevin Gray
Kevin can offer the experience of over 5000 days of operational experience and operations support positions from an oilfield career of over 31 years as well as working as lead trainer for a multi award winning ERD engineering team based in Perth Scotland. Kevin has been consistently the highest rated drilling training instructor in a major multinational training company over the last four years and throughout his offshore career was repeatedly graded in top 5% within both offshore and onshore positions for the largest oilfield service company.
Kevin has designed and overseen the delivery of multi week training programs for offshore drilling, well intervention and fluid supervisors for a number of clients. This has included competency assessment and skills gap analysis throughout the programs. Kevin is also able to draw on his well documented teaching skills to deliver courses or programs in directional drilling and surveying, stuck pipe, extended reach drilling and various other drilling related subject areas. He wrote the first Operation support centre SOP for directional drilling which was later adopted globally. In addition, he has designed and delivered various 'Real Time Centre' training courses including human dynamics training. In his former role as directional drilling coordinator, based in Aberdeen he still holds a number of world records for drilling achievements with motor and RSS tools.
In his earlier career he led an offshore team that developed the first multi axis drill vibration measurement tool to report measurements in real time, and subsequently wrote the core documentation on vibration control for D&M. Later he was responsible for the introduction and field testing of Powerdrive RSS tools and had considerable input into their re-design as the X5 variant. Kevin has led many teams into both new fields and mature field redevelopment. Outside the industry he enjoys skiing and exploring, taking these two activities to the extreme in 2015 when he skied to the South Pole dragging a sledge behind him.
Courses Taught
- N687: Advanced Directional Drilling and Advance Surveying Techniques
- N688: Drillstring Design
- N689: Drilling Fluids
- N690: Stuck Pipe, Design and Operational Practices for Avoidance
- N691: Well Integrity Management & Barrier Verification
- N692: Well Cost Control & Forecasting
- N693: Casing Design & Well Integrity Engineering
- N694: Basic Drilling Technology
- N695: Introduction to Drilling, Completion, and Workover Operations
- N696: Drilling Rig Selection & Inspection for Performance Optimization
- N697: Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) Program
- N698: HPHT Well Engineering
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 3.5 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 35 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.