UNR attracts geothermal top dogs

If you want to learn about geothermal energy, come to Reno. That’s the message the University of Nevada, Reno hopes students worldwide will hear once the National Geothermal Institute opens here. The U.S. Department of Energy just awarded the university a $1.2 million grant to develop and operate the institute, which will be a consortium of geothermal schools. They include Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell, Stanford, the Oregon Institute of Technology, the University of Utah, and potentially others, announced UNR officials this week. It will be headquartered at UNR’s Redfield Campus.

The institute is expected to enhance UNR’s Great Basin Center for Geothermal Energy with research and trained grads for the geothermal industry. UNR officials say this sort of consortium- based geothermal training program, which includes industry collaboration, is the first of its kind in the nation. Examples of potential courses include Public Policy, Permitting and Environmental Issues; Exploration; Geothermal Business Principles; and Power Plant Design.