Above Ground Geothermal & Allied Technologies (AGGAT) is a HERA-led co-operative research programme to support the development of Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power plants utilizing low enthalpy geothermal resources or waste heat. The geothermal turbine, which converts the working fluid’s enthalpy into kinetic energy and then outputs the power, plays a crucial role in the…
As part of the AGGAT program, the Heavy Engineering Education and Research Foundation (HEERF) offers scholarships to prospective university students undertaking postgraduate research related to the Heavy Engineering Sector. The AGGAT Program offers such opportunities through its research objectives in Clean Energy. This has often been a pathway of growth for our scholars into our…
The World Geothermal Congress (WGC) was held in Melbourne at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 19th – 24th April 2015. The event was co-hosted by New Zealand, where a number of short courses and field trips to geothermal plants also took place post-conference. Over 1,600 delegates from over 80 countries attended the conference…
Following on from the presentation of project plans at the AGGAT team meeting in January (see last HERA News), the research leaders will be re-convening at an upcoming Technical Advisory Board meeting in early March to present proposals and establish the next steps for their projects. In summary form, they are described below: Mar272015 Technology…
Following the successful contract renewal of the Above Ground Geothermal and Allied Technologies (AGGAT) programme with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), the AGGAT Team research leaders kicked off the new year with a meeting to discuss project plans. The additional members in the group are primarily from the University of Auckland and…
Dec262014 The New Zealand Geothermal Workshop held in Auckland from 24 to 26 November. HERA Industry Development Senior Research Engineer Dr Boaz Habib recently attended the NZ Geothermal Workshop held in Auckland on 24th – 26th November. The conference was well-attended by the geothermal community and had international attendance from geothermally active countries such as…
At the New Zealand Geothermal Workshop held in November 2014, a number of well written papers were presented on various topics related to geothermal research. Among these, some of the best papers were selected based on the value of contributions made to their field of study. Among the prizes awarded was a HERA award for…
The AGGAT program is now getting re-shaped and refined for delivery of its outcomes in the next two years, with a specialist team of researchers being included from the University of Auckland to various research aims. What has been particularly exciting has been our use of the planning tool of cause and effect (Ishikawa or…
The Above Ground Geothermal and Allied Technologies (AGGAT) science research programme initiated as a collaborative effort in October 2012 between NZ Universities, Heavy Engineering industry and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). The program recently went through its 2 year progress review, upon which MBIE will advise of its continuation of funding for the…