Contribution of UNU/GTP training to geothermal development in Central and Eastern European countries

• Main Author: Beata Kepinska
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Iceland
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.585.9039; http://www.jardhitafelag.is/media/PDF/S02Paper005.pdf

Geothermal energy represents the biggest potential and has in many countries the most promising prospects for development among all renewable energy sources. It is expected that its role and level of use will steadily increase, especially in light of the new challenges to be met globally, i.e. rationalization of energy use, environmental protection, and sustainable development. Successful development of geothermal use is conditioned by access to the knowledge, modern methods, best experiences, and the world’s solutions. The United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme (UNU/GTP), offered in Iceland, creates unique possibilities in this respect, providing generous assistance to many developing countries, and Central and Eastern European countries in educating their own geothermal professionals. This paper describes the contribution of the UNU/GTP in educating teams of geothermal specialists from those Central and Eastern European countries (CEE), which have significant geothermal potential. The UNU/GTP has been in existence for 25 years, from 1979 to 2003. The first European students came from Turkey in 1985, but from