The GEOTRAINET Project “Geo-Education for a sustainable geothermal heating and cooling market” By I. Fernandez Fuentes

1. The GEOTRAINET Project“Geo-Education for a sustainable geothermal heating and cooling market”ByI. Fernandez Fuentes, H. Ligtenberg & G. Ll. Jones

2. Content • Project objective • Project periode • EFG Mission in this project and project partners • Curricula for GSHP geosciences and design • Assessment of geothermal data required for GSHP design and installation • Curricula for GSHP drilling and installation • Creation of necessary teaching/learning materials and of the e-learning platform • Establishment of certification framework on European level and proposal for standardisation • Direct Training

3. Project objecties GEOTRAINET project aim: “Geo-Education for a sustainable geothermal heating and cooling market” • To develop the training of professionals involved in a Ground Source Heat Pump installations • Target groups: • Designers (feasibility study including geologists) • Drillers (who make the boreholes and insert the tubes

4. Project period GEOTRAINET project period: The action shall run for 30 months from 1 September 2008

5. EFG Mission in this project EFG is the GEOTRAINET Co-ordinator partner Group of partners: • European organizarions: • European Federation of Geologists • European Geothermal Energy Council • Research centers: • Arsenal Research, Austria • BRGM, France • Private sector: • GT Skills, Ireland • Geoexchange Society, Romania • Universities: • Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain • University of Lund, Sweden • Newcastle University, UK

6. GEOTRAINET Phases GEOTRAINET is divided into phases permitting to create an education programme towards a certification framework and to train geothermal installers. The work will be as follows: • Research into data currently useful for GSHP installers. • Evaluation of skills required to design, drill and install GSHP • Create curricula for designers, drillers and installers • Create training tools. Test and optimization of the products. • Suggest standards and codes to create a European market • Propose a European certification framework • Launch training courses

7. Curricula for GSHP geosciences and design • The training of geologists or geoscientists is necessary to give them a complete GSHP competence • With Knowles on: • Environmental respect • Ground thermal condition • Technical condition • To achieve these objectives it will be necessaryestablishment an European expert platform. This platform will work on creating a Curricula for geosciences and design, and assigning contents and programs to the work items identified in the Curricula.

8. Assessment of geothermal data required for GSHP • Involves the next activities • Inventory of data available in the Geological Surveys or other equivalent authorities. • Collect and evaluate data to determine knowledge and skills required for design and installation of geothermal heating and cooling • The Geological Survey of France: BRGM will coordinate the contribution on the project from 6 national geological surveys: • CGS, Czech Republic Geological Survey • IGME, Spain Geological Survey • PGI, Poland Geological Survey • INETI, Portugal Geological Survey • BGS, British Geological Survey • TNO, Dutch Geological Survey

9. Curricula for GSHP drilling and installation • An European expert platform dedicated to the drilling and installation part of a GSHP will be establish • The platform of experts will define the: • Program of education, including necessary content and skills requirement to train drillers • Didactic materials to prepare the learning materials for drillers • Identification of profile and required professional experience of the teachers for the training of the trainers

10. Creation of necessary teaching/learning materials and of the e-learning platform • The goal will be to develop best practice documentation and to create all the necessary documents to help in the training courses: • technical manuals • case studies • fact sheets • power point presentations • The e-platform will also: • support the two platforms of experts • support the teachers during the training courses • Permit to interchange information through partners • Permit to support other countries on training courses and to help in dissemination.

11. Establishment of certification framework on European level Certification means that an installer has demonstrated necessary skills, knowledge and ability typically required of a practitioner to competently install, maintain a GSHP installation. The levels of existing skills and knowledge expected of the people who are to be trained are: • For Designers/Planners: • Students: post graduate, more than 3 years in geology, hydrogeology, etc • Professionals: engineers, geologists, technicians with 5 years of experience • For Drillers: • Professionals with 3 years of experience • Students with background in mechanics

12. Direct Training 8 direct training courses: 2 for trainers, 3 for drillers and 3 for designers. In addition, two e-learning courses, one for trainers and one for designers. The evaluation system consists on two parts: • a) an assessment of the skills and knowledge of the professionals having taken the course • b) an evaluation questionnaire filled in by the course participants on the quality and relevance of the course • c) an overall evaluation report on the training courses summarising the results of the course and the evaluation questionnaire fulfilled by the students

13. Thank you for the attention Project contact: EurGeol Dr. Isabel Fernandez Fuentes EFG Office DirectorEuropean Federation of GeologistsRue Jenner 13, 1000 BrusselsTel: +32 2 7887636Fax: +32 2 6477359 efgbrussels@gmail.com