APPA reinforces the great potential of geothermal energy in EU and Spain

Photo of the Event - Madrid 2013

Francisco Rojas 4 Nov 2013

The Association of Renewable Energy Producers -APPA – (web) held in Madrid, Spain, the event ” Promotion of geothermal energy for electricity generation in Europe ” which unveiled the project GEOELEC (web) that is driven by the European Geothermal Energy Council and which APPA has been working as a representative in Spain.

High Enthalpy Geothermal APPA requires greater presence of geothermal energy for power generation in the future energy mix Spanish and European prospects given its excellent potential in terms of production capacity, as well as the added value that gives off the energy from fossil and nuclear fuels.

Besides the ability of high enthalpy geothermal energy to provide large quantity, excellent quality as an indigenous energy, renewable, perfectly manageable and cost make it an ideal technology to strengthen the Spanish and European electricity mix at a time that dependence on third countries and security of supply are the focus of any debate on the future energy model must design the European Union.

High Enthalpy Geothermal APPA calls attention to the outstanding role of this technology for the energy future of Europe in a time when this energy prospects are excellent, allowing the geothermal increase capacity in Europe since the 1 6 GW installed in 2011 to 2.6GW in 2015.

Estimates Geographic Information System (GIS) developed by the European project GEOELEC, which has served as APPA Spanish partner can not be more positive, given the current world situation . It shows the potential of geothermal electricity production estimated at depths of 1-5 km for the period 2020-2050 in the EU- 28 and also in Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Turkey.

According to the exposed data, and taking into account the plants currently under development, -1.7 GWe installed capacity (electrical gigawatts) – increase in the region about 3 GWe in 2016. In addition, projects under investigation could add an additional capacity of 1GW, which would mean a total of nearly 4 GW in 2019.

Given these perspectives, the section of High Enthalpy Geothermal Association of Renewable Energy Producers -APPA a call, both the public and private sectors about the benefits that would improve the financial viability of this energy. In this sense, insists that stimulate financing facilities that produce electricity from geothermal result in major economic development opportunities for countries in the form of taxes and fees, export of technology and jobs.

Public and private financing

This has been revealed within GEOELEC, whose Spanish section met in Madrid on October 29 a national workshop organised by APPA. The project has defined, for the first time in Europe, risk mitigation fund geothermal Europe. Named European Geothermal Risk Insurance Fund- EGRIF, the fund made ??available to public and private organisations that develop geothermal power projects in the territory of the EU.

APPA expects all the data as positive for energy self-sufficiency and sustainable economic development both in Spain and the other European neighbours are taken into account when planning the different energy mix. The Association draws particular attention to the different entities in our country calibrating renewable costs to the electrical system, so that geothermal energy for electricity generation receives remuneration reasonably sufficient to allow the sector to develop its projects in Spain and the goals acquired 50 MW by 2020.

Source: APPA, Asociacion de Productores de Energias Renovables. Via PiensaEnGeotermia