International audience to attend 36th annual expo, conference next week in Reno

RENO, Nev. – University of Nevada, Reno researchers and students will present their research at the 36thannual Geothermal Resources Council meeting and Energy Expo Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 at the Peppermill Resort Spa Casino.

"The meeting is the annual gathering of top geothermal professionals," Wendy Calvin, director of the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy, said. "It's a way for all geothermal professionals, including our own University experts, to share new developments, projects and research information with everyone in the industry."

University of Nevada, Reno's geothermal experts and members of the geothermal research center will present the latest on the geology and geochemistry of Nevada geothermal systems. The center, located within the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, is internationally recognized for conducting geothermal research towards the establishment of geothermal energy as an economically viable energy source.

Students from the National Geothermal Academy, hosted by the University of Nevada, Reno in the summer, will showcase their summer projects during a Poster Session and Expo Networking Reception at the meeting. The academy, which was recently recognized as an outstanding leader in national geothermal education programs, is an eight-week intensive course focusing on all aspects of geothermal energy development.

During the second annual National Geothermal Academy, hosted this summer by the University of Nevada, Reno, students listen in on how geothermal provides heat for aquaculture and greenhouses in Canby, Calif. Photo provided by the University of Nevada, Reno.

Jim Faulds, director of the University's Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, will be conducting four pre-meeting field trips and one post-meeting trip for the meeting's attendees. The trips will bring participants to several geothermal exploration and production sites in Northern Nevada. One trip will be to the ENEL Stillwater geothermal and solar power plant. Two more trips will be taken to the Alterra Power Corp. Soda Lake Geothermal Plant Tour and the Naval Air Station in Fallon.

The University will have two booths at the Expo Networking Reception. One will be staffed by faculty and students of the center, and will focus specifically on the center and its research and exploration activities. The other booth, donated by Ormat Technologies, will present geothermal education programs in northern Nevada, showcasing training programs by the University, Truckee Meadows Community College and the Desert Research Institute.

Nevada has the largest number of geothermal energy projects in development in the country, making the Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy critical to further solidify the establishment of the geothermal energy industry in the state. The University has partnerships with leading geothermal energy companies and industries. Through these partnerships, the University is working to help promote its own geothermal research while also helping Nevada become a sustainable, environmentally sound and economically competitive contributor to energy supply in the western United States.

The 2012 Geothermal Resources Council meeting, hosted by the council and the Geothermal Energy Association, will promote the geothermal industry as a reliable and renewable energy resource on a global level. The meeting is designed to encourage networking, and provides business and educational opportunities for all attendees. It will showcase the latest geothermal research, exploration, development and usage through poster presentations, workshops, featured keynote speakers and much more.

Visit the 2012 Geothermal Resources Council meeting and Energy Expo site for more information.

Nevada's land-grant university founded in 1874, the University of Nevada, Reno has an enrollment of 18,000 students and is ranked in the top tier of the nation's best universities. Part of the Nevada System of Higher Education, the University has the system's largest research program and is home to the state's medical school. With outreach and education programs in all Nevada counties and with one of the nation's largest study-abroad consortiums, the University extends across the state and around the world. For more information, visit www.unr.edu.