A conference examines the role of geothermal energy as a renewable energy

Raul Garcia Hemonnet

In the time of Energy Transition that both the planet and humanity are experiencing, it is necessary to take into account all possible renewable and sustainable energy sources.

With the aim of learning more about the energy possibilities of geothermal energy, the conference 'Challenges in the study of renewable energies: Geothermal energy and its associated processes' was recently held on the Móstoles campus.

The meeting addressed the challenges of studying this subject from the perspective of industry and the research environment. In addition, it addressed how geothermal energy (energy from within the earth, unlimited, sustainable and with great potential for generating electricity and heat production) “plays a significant role in the energy transition to renewable energies, as it is independent of both meteorological conditions and unpredictable fluctuations in international prices of raw materials such as oil, gas, uranium, etc.,” the organizers of the event pointed out.

To this end, specialists from both academia and the business world were brought together, such as Álvaro Arnáiz Giménez-Coral (REPSOL), Scherezade Diaz Martos (ESGeotermia), Rayco Marrero Diaz (IGME-CSIC), José Ángel Cid Fernández (XEOAQUIS SL) and Fidel Martín González (URJC), and specific topics were discussed, such as deep geothermal energy in the Canary Islands or the existence of deposits in the city of Ourense, among other aspects.

“The major challenges related to the important knowledge that must be acquired about the interior of the Earth were highlighted. Knowledge of the geological structures that allow the ascent of thermal fluids and the lithologies that generate greater heat production is essential. Therefore, the greater the knowledge of the subsoil, the more efficient and cheaper its use will be. Legislative limitations and some of the most advanced and developed projects in Spain for the production of electricity and heat were also addressed,” said the event organizers.

A forum, organized by the research group TECVOLRISK, ESCET and the FACTER project, which has served to learn more about a type of energy that is not yet very well known, “the challenges of climate change and the scarcity of energy resources have accelerated ambitious energy programs for renewable energy, making it one of the most important priorities for developing a low-carbon economy, efficient in the use of resources, with climate resilience and a climate-neutral planet.”

An opportunity to expand knowledge about an energy source that will surely gain greater importance as the Energy Transition process progresses.