Mission
Our mission is to help expand the sustainable use of geothermal resources to meet California’s energy needs through outreach and education and by supporting industry and research.
Objectives
The CGEC coordinates activities with the geothermal industry, local, state and federal agencies, and other entities to focus statewide geothermal activities with following five objectives:
- Identify the optimum role for geothermal energy and the California geothermal industry in California’s ongoing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) process;
- Expand California’s confirmed geothermal resource base;
- Identify and communicate geothermal related transmission issues and opportunities;
- Identify geothermal technology assessment goals and transfer opportunities;
- Promote utilization of geothermal energy in California by determining perception of and information needs of all facets of geothermal resources in educational forums.
History
The CGEC was formed in November 2004 with funding from the Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) program and has continued to be funded by this program since. As part of the UC Davis Energy Institute, California Geothermal Energy Collaborative (CGEC) shares resources, administrative support and crossing-cutting research goals with four other campus collaboratives – California Biomass Collaborative, California Wind Energy Collaborative, the California Solar Energy Collaborative and the Integrated Renewable Energy Systems Collaborative. The CGEC’s stakeholders participate in workshops, the annual summit, educational activities, and field trips on transmission issues, RPS progress, the future of the geothermal industry, resource assessment and policy analysis. The California Geothermal Energy Collaborative is advised by an Executive Board on project goals and objectives.