New study to commissioned to help maximize the use of geothermal on the Canary Islands

San Andres, Canary Islands, Spain (source: flickr/ vil.sandi, creative commons)

The Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands, through the General Directorate of Energy, has commissioned the Canary Islands Technological Institute (ITC) a study to maximize the use of geothermal energy in the Archipelago , indicates in a press release. The deadline for delivery of the project will be December 15, 2020 and its amount amounts to EUR 40,000. The Canary Islands are an island group of Spain off the Northwest coast of Africa.

The purpose of this assignment, is to establish a roadmap to be developed by the administrations involved to advance this energy alternative as a complement to the decarbonization system proposed by the Executive for 2040.

The director responsible for the Area, José Antonio Valbuena, pointed out that “the General Directorate of Energy has made some progress in recent years in promoting geothermal energy in the Canary Islands and, as a result of this work, in 2018 a Manual of Geothermal energy in the Canary Islands, where the state of knowledge on the matter is developed and some action proposals were made ”.

“The objective of the current government team is to take up this document, update it based on current needs, develop a well-defined work structure and set deadlines for important advances in this type of energy with great potential in the Archipelago” Valbuena added.

The general director of Energy of the Government of the Canary Islands, Rosana Melián, explained that the actions entrusted to the ITC are focused, on the one hand, on increasing the use of geothermal energy for small cold and heat production facilities using the stable temperature of the sea (very low enthalpy). On the other, “it is also committed to promoting geothermal energy for large-scale electricity production, or what is the same, medium and high enthalpy,” said Melián.

From the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Fight against Climate Change and Territorial Planning, it is noted in the note, it is considered that the ITC, in addition to having sufficient research, development and technical assistance capacities, is the appropriate entity for this work of evolution and improvement, due to its participation in the process of drafting the geothermal manuals published by the Government of the Canary Islands.

Source: El Diario