Dr Pang Zhonghe, GRÓ GTP Alumnus: Advancing International Geothermal Research and Education
Dr Pang Zhonghe, a GRÓ GTP alumnus from China, is a leading hydrogeologist and geothermal scientist whose career has spanned research, teaching, and international development. A graduate of the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme, Dr Pang has played a key role in advancing geothermal science in China, as well as globally.
Leading China’s Geothermal Programme
Today, Dr Pang is a professor of hydrology and geothermics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGG-CAS) in Beijing, where he has led the geothermal program since the 1990s. There he leads the program of scientific research and postgraduate education on groundwater and geothermal energy. The program was first established in the 1970s as one of the first of its kind in China.
„The current focus of the program is on “geothermal energy and geological carbon storage” where we have a multi-disciplinary group of scientists working on theoretical and applied aspects of geosciences“, Dr Pang says and remarks that their mission is to maximize the contribution of geothermal energy in China, in order to build a world with cleaner air and limit the effects of climate change.
Dr Pang lecturing for a GRÓ GTP training course in Shanxi Province, China, 2024
Geothermal’s Role in China’s Clean Energy Transition
As China charts its course toward net-zero emissions, geothermal energy has emerged as a strategic pillar in the country’s clean energy transition. „China will reach carbon neutrality by 2060. For this reason, the government is encouraging the development of geothermal energy, which is recognized as one of the five carbon-free energy sources. The GRÓ GTP Training Programme on geothermal energy technology is therefore very relevant for my country“.
Dr Pang took part in the 6-month geothermal training in Iceland in 1988. „It was a unique opportunity for me to gain practical knowledge and international experience in a country with rich geothermal resources and advanced geothermal technologies“. Dr Pang chose fluid chemistry as the subject of his training which later on became his subject of research and teaching. „The training enhanced my knowledge on geothermal fluids, which I applied in my work both in China and in other countries afterwards“.
Dr Pang recalls that the knowledge gained in Iceland helped him professionally: „When I was working at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a hydrogeologist I took the lead in organizing inter-laboratory comparison activities on chemical analyses of geothermal waters. Using the knowledge I learned in Iceland I guided the international cooperation“. The work resulted in a cookbook on geothermal water analysis, which he edited together with his Icelandic supervisor, Dr Halldór Ármannsson. „We gathered best practice of selected qualified labs around the world in a report in 2006 that has been used by the GTP as a teaching material for the fellows“.
„I further expanded to study gaseous components of geothermal fluids as well as isotopes in my research since 1995, when I also began to supervise PhD students in geothermal geology at the CAS. More than 20 students have graduated with PhD degree from my direct supervision, many of whom are working in the geothermal sector in China“, Dr Pang adds.
Research Contributions and International Collaboration
Dr Pang first learned about the Geothermal Training Programme through the renowned U.S. Geological Survey scientist, Dr Donald White, who was also the first invited guest lecturer for the training in Iceland.Reflecting on the training experience, Dr Pang says, „It was just like a postdoctoral research experience, since it came right after I completed my PhD study in China. I came to Iceland with a lot of scientific and technical questions in mind. The Training Program was very well structured, which included lectures, field excursions and project work“. He notes that the Training Programme was enjoyable: „Particularly the 2 week-long field excursions that took us to major geothermal manifestations such as the Geysir spring eruption, the Lindalax fish farm, greenhouse facilities and Krafla power plant. The tour through central highlands of Iceland was an impressive experience of an interplay of ice and fire“.
Dr Pang reflects on the project work in the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme and highlights that it was interesting and beneficial: „I worked in the chemical lab of Orkustofnun to test for trace elements like Aluminum, I was also involved in a sampling campaign with my supervisor when it was minus 20 celsius in northern Iceland, I also joined exploration field work in northwestern Iceland using geophysical techniques.“
„The invited guest lecturer for that year was Dr Robert Fournier from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), whose lectures were right on my subject so it was very much an added value for the training, interactions with him were also very much rewarding“, Dr Pang explains and adds: „it made the training for me a really intensive exposure to the subject of geochemistry of geothermal fluids!“
The Geothermal space heating Xiongxian Model that Dr Pang helped established has turned into an icon of successful geothermal direct use in China, 2015
Life and Experiences in Iceland
„Iceland is Mecca for a geothermal researcher, I believe. Its beautiful land is marked by ice and fire, and very special from geological point of view. It is a part of this planet but it feels like another one, with its very unique landscape“, Dr Pang recalls when asked about his time in Iceland.
Not all memories were academic as Dr Pang recalls one late evening that left a lasting impression on him: „I remembered one occasion in which I left the office rather late, just fit for the final bus. It was raining in the meantime. To make it worse I was on to the wrong bus, to my surprise the driver of my bus coordinated with the right bus that waited for me so I could be handed over to the right one“.
Strengthening Alumni Networks in China
Dr Pang was a part of a very small cohort of six fellows. „I have had the opportunity to meet most of them after the training, but reunification has never been possible for us, though we have been involved in geothermal work in one way or another“.
Dr Pang built strong ties with other Chinese alumni: „We even established a union of UNU-GTP fellows in China in 2013 when I was elected president, at least partly due to the reason I was the most senior among those who were trained and who were still working. In this way, we have maximized the training outcomes“.
With his experience of the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme in Iceland, Dr Pang offers advice for prospective fellows: „I think for the fellows it is very important to come prepared. It is necessary to be open minded and to be outgoing in getting along with teachers and fellow students. It is necessary to make friends with other fellows to help each other in the training. We improve our experience, and we improve our professional skills“.
Re-visiting the injection well tested for CCUS that Dr Pang led in 2013, one of the first in China, 2025
About Dr Pang Zhonghe
Dr Pang was born in Jiangsu Province, China, where he completed his primary and secondary education in Xuyi County. He pursued hydrogeology at Nanjing University, earning both his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees, before moving to Beijing to study geothermics and completing his Ph.D. Since then, he has worked as a researcher at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGG-CAS) in Beijing, where he was appointed full professor and head of the geothermal programme in 1995.
Early in his career, Dr Pang benefited from technical training in Iceland, New Zealand, France and the United States. Later, when firmly established in China, he was appointed isotope hydrologist at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, where he was responsible for a geothermal sub-program focusing on the use of nuclear tracers for managing geothermal fluids. He supervised various training events and expert services to geothermal power generating countries such as Costa Rica, Indonesia and Kenya. Whereas in China he has applied tracer techniques in management of geothermal water from sedimentary basins for space heating. This effort has, according to Dr Pang, helped China to become the biggest user of geothermal heat in the world. The model project in Xiong’an New Area in North China is a well-known success story of geothermal direct use, which attracted global attention especially during the World Geothermal Congress 2023 held in Beijing, China.