The Royal Society of New Zealand’s 2011 President’s Award has been presented to Dr Greg Bignall and the Geothermal Geology Team at the Wairakei Research Centre, at GNS Science.
The Society’s President, Dr Garth Carnaby, presented the award in Auckland this week. The award is “for research-based technology enhancing renewable geothermal energy used in New Zealand”.
The GNS team consists of 12 geology specialists from six countries with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, including stratigraphy, mineralogy, structural geology, rock geochemistry and petrology.
As well as consultancy services, the team conducts fundamental geoscience research, addressing issues of critical importance to the New Zealand geothermal industry, concerning field (system) delineation and management, identification of deep permeability and fluid-rock interactions.
Dr Bignall and his team are supporting the deep drilling project in the Taupo Volcanic Zone in collaboration with the New Zealand and international geothermal industry and research partners.
The project will explore the potential of deep geothermal resources with the aim of enhancing renewable geothermal energy use in New Zealand – and our Council and Executive had the privilege of visiting the drilling rig in Taupo earlier this year and see the fantastic work being undertaken.
