Mexico creates Center for Geothermal Energy Innovation (CeMIE-Geo)
Los Azufres geothermal power plant, Mexico (source: Alstom)
Alexander Richter
5 Dec 2013
Mexico creates Center for Geothermal Energy Innovation (CeMIE-Geo) as a virtual collaboration driving 30 projects of various scientific institutions to achieve a better understanding of geothermal resources in the country and their possible utilization.
Today, news from Mexico report on the establishment of the Mexico Center for Geothermal Energy Innovation (CeMIE-Geo). The Center is founded with the aim to promote the development of geothermal energy in Mexico. It involves 30 projects of various scientific institutions in the country that aim to achieve a better understanding of the geothermal resources of Mexico and its possible utilization. The center will be funded with nearly one billion pesos ($77 million).
“Dr. Rosa María Prol Ledesma, a member of this virtual center, said that for 30 years geothermal development has been stagnant due to lack of investment. Now for the development of the 30 projects proposed by various institutions that make up the CeMIE-Geo, Secretary of Energy (SENER) allocated 958 million pesos ($74 million). ” These projects will provide a basis for future exploitation of geothermal resources. ”
The development of 30 research projects is the first step to promote the use of geothermal energy. Within these projects the Institute of Geophysics of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) coordinates four: developing a map of heat flow and temperature at depth, a map of thermal provinces, to specify their level of enthalpy and depth , innovative exploration techniques based on volcanological studies and project development of human resources excellence in the short and medium term, said Ledesma Prol.
“The plans also include human resource development, as they are highly necessary for the development of a trained workforce and to do work on par with the Renewable Energy Institute of the UNAM, the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE) and other institutions of the CeMIE-Geo, addressing three aspects: short training courses, of about three weeks; graduate studies in specific tasks such as exploration and reservoir engineering. In addition to master’s and doctoral programs. We also have partnerships with the United Nations University in Iceland, as well as universities in New Zealand and the United States, said the member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences.
This center will not have a physical location as such, but will be virtual, in which participating institutions as the Secretary of Energy, in collaboration with institutions such as UNAM, the Universidad Michoacana, Universidad Politécnica de Baja California, and these, in instead, they work with some private companies. The coordinator will CeMIE-Geo CICESE.
Status of geothermal energy in Mexico
Mexico has dropped from second place to fourth in geothermal energy production at the global level due to low investment. Still, the most important geothermal areas of the country are the peninsula of Baja California, the Mexican volcanic axis and areas of active volcanism in Chiapas.
“However, we continue to use the most basic and inefficient technology, we waste a lot of energy that could be harnessed, plus it lacked sensitize the industry to the direct use of geothermal fluids in industrial processes and thus reduce the use of fossil fuels.”
One problem in the north is the expenditure of electrical energy by the use of air conditioning and / or heating, when there are technological alternatives to use geothermal energy and save all that electricity through the use of heat pumps.
First International Forum
The creation of virtual center-Geo CeMIE was agreed on at the first International Forum on Geothermal Energy, which took place October 28 and 29, 2013, when not only the status of geothermal energy in the world and in Mexico was analysed, but also the perspectives of research and development of geothermal market in the country were taken into account, in addition to the legal part of the intervention of the private sector in geothermal and regulations governing the industry in Mexico and its social impact.
The Forum released the main areas of opportunity for strengthening scientific research and technological development, and the creation of innovation centers in Mexican scientific and technological research on renewable energies such as CeMIE-Geo.”
Source: VanGuardia
