Spanish Geothermal Association holds 1st Geothermal Forum
#image_title
The Spanish Geothermal Association GEOENERGIA held the first Geothermal Forum in Madrid to promote collaboration and discuss geothermal opportunities in Spain.
The 1st State Geothermal Forum, organized by the Spanish Geothermal Association (Geoenergia), with the collaboration of the Spanish Technological and Innovation Platform in Geothermal Energy (Geoplat), was held in Madrid on 18 June. The event brought together representatives of public administrations, companies, universities, technology centers and reference entities to analyze the progress of geothermal energy in Spain, promote collaboration between agents, and discuss the opportunities offered by this technology in the current context of energy transition.
The meeting highlighted the need for geothermal energy to occupy a more prominent place on the Spanish political agenda. Participants agreed that this renewable energy source is a strategic tool for strengthening energy independence, decarbonizing industrial and heating/cooling uses, and improving the competitiveness of the economy through efficient, manageable, and continuously available thermal solutions.
During the opening ceremony, Carmen López, Director of Renewable Energies and the Electricity Market at the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDAE), an agency attached to the State Secretariat of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, emphasized the need to continue raising awareness of a technology she described as an “unbeatable” solution due to its capacity to provide renewable, locally sourced, and continuously available energy.
López recalled the evolution of the sector over the last two decades and noted that geothermal energy has gone from being a little-known technology with scant recognition within energy policies to occupying an increasingly important place in Spanish energy planning.
The head of IDAE emphasized the need to accelerate the deployment of thermal renewables to achieve national energy and climate goals, highlighting the role of geothermal energy and heat pumps in sectors that are particularly complex to decarbonize, such as building climate control and energy-efficient renovations. She also underscored the value of solid projects already underway and the support programs promoted by the government to foster the sector’s growth.
Regarding deep geothermal energy, she noted that Spain has a strategic opportunity to advance both in thermal applications and in firm renewable electricity generation, thanks to the support programs that are mitigating the risks associated with the initial exploration phases. Among these, she highlighted the European-funded grants for deep geothermal energy feasibility studies, especially in the Canary Islands, where the first projects are already beginning to materialize.
Institutional support and development prospects
The Forum featured Philippe Dumas, Secretary General of the European Geothermal Energy Council (EGEC), who presented the evolution of the European geothermal market and the main initiatives promoted by EU institutions. He emphasized the growing importance of geothermal energy in the European Union’s energy strategy, as well as the significant number of projects under development in both electricity generation and renewable heating and cooling networks. According to data presented by EGEC, more than 500 geothermal heating and cooling projects are currently in various stages of development in Europe, while the European Commission is preparing new specific actions to accelerate the deployment of this technology.
Antonio García, head of the Hydroelectric, Geothermal and Environmental Energy Department of IDAE , reviewed the main financing instruments and public support available for the development of geothermal projects, as well as the future lines of action aimed at accelerating the implementation of thermal renewables in all sectors of the economy.
For her part, Belén Benito, Deputy Director General of Mines and Industrial Safety of the Community of Madrid, presented the regional vision on the geothermal potential of Madrid, highlighting the capacity of this renewable technology to contribute to the decarbonization of the building stock, the reduction of energy dependence and the development of new deep geothermal projects in the region.
The institutional session concluded with a presentation by Joaquín Gurriarán, director of DISA Renovables and representative of the companies Energía Geotérmica de Tenerife and Energía Geotérmica de La Palma. He analyzed the progress and prospects of deep geothermal energy in the Canary Islands, and the drilling projects initiated in Tenerife, emphasizing the opportunity for the islands’ energy sovereignty. Geoenergía highlighted the significant milestone represented by the progress of these drilling projects in the Canary Islands, since, if the expected resource is found, the first geothermal power plants can be built, paving the way for the rest of the Iberian Peninsula, where conditions are also favorable.
Real-world experience and technical knowledge
The second part of the Forum was dedicated to analyzing the operational performance of geothermal heating and cooling systems with heat pumps. Through real-world case studies and the use of control and digitalization tools, the speakers demonstrated how these systems achieve the highest energy efficiency standards when properly designed and managed. The various presentations confirmed that this renewable heating and cooling technology is unbeatable compared to other heat pumps in terms of efficiency and performance.
The session began with a presentation by Iñigo Arrizabalaga, director of Telur , focusing on seasonal operating performance and the importance of having reliable data and adequate monitoring systems to assess the actual performance of the facilities.
Subsequently, several companies and organizations shared real-world experiences in the operation, monitoring, and optimization of geothermal installations. Girod Geotermia, Ecoforest, GeoIntegral, and A&P Geotermia presented case studies related to installation control, digitalization, intelligent monitoring, and the impact of management on actual performance.
The day continued with new experiences applied to the energy rehabilitation of buildings, innovative heat pump solutions and research projects developed by Veolia, Tecnalia and CIEMAT.
With the celebration of this first State Geothermal Forum, Geoenergía takes another step in its work of representing, promoting and structuring the Spanish geothermal sector, promoting a stable space for dialogue between public administrations, companies, knowledge centers and professionals to favor the development of geothermal energy in Spain.
Source: Email correspondence
