In the middle of trying to get it all conventional to renewable energy sourcesa new scientific trend is emerging to generate energy in a sustainable manner. Certain areas of Spain could be ideal to take advantage of this advantage.
Madrid was one of the selected locations to start this innovation geothermal energy project, that will be carried out by the company Repsolthe Spanish energy and petrochemical company.
Spain is said to possess one of the world’s most precious treasures of renewable energy sources
He Institute for Energy Diversification and Conservation (IDAE) approves a number of projects in different areas of Spain, which will be financed by the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund.
The goal is to discover what the are most suitable areas for extracting geothermal energythat is, generated by the heat of the earth, to be able to obtain energy in a more renewable way, which is known as «the oil of the 21st century”, due to its scarcity and valuable utility. Spain could be a supplier of this precious energy.
He “Feasibility study of the geothermal energy project in Madrid» is one of the projects that the IDAE has resolved favorably, albeit provisionally, and which was to be developed by Repsol.
What is geothermal energy and why is it so important?
Amid the renewable energy boom, more and more people are talking about this energy. In short, it is a species energy obtained from the heat of the earthhence the name «geo” (to land “thermos flask» (heat), in the Greek language.
This energy is especially useful for heating, cooling, domestic hot water and even for generating electricity. Furthermore, it is a alternative to the well-known fossil fuels, which generate much more CO2 emissions and are not friendly to the planet.
The heat located beneath the earth is converted into energy thanks to various extraction processes. It is stored in both rocks as in floors j groundwater.
We think this is one of the biggest advantages inexhaustibilityas it is a renewable resource that has no end; are stability; Are low impact on the environment compared to fossil fuels; their low extraction costsamong others. The only disadvantage would be that to know whether an area is suitable to carry out these works, unavoidable must be invested to carry out studies and thus determine whether the area is drinkable.
How are they going to extract this geothermal energy in Madrid and other parts of Spain?
All projects selected to carry out these excavations must first complete a investigation of at least 1,000 meters underground, to conclude whether the areas are suitable for extracting geothermal heat. They will have to find that geothermal resources greater than 150°C, i.e. high temperatures, and between 100°C and 150°C, medium temperature.
After it has been determined which rooms are ready to extract energy, the work starts. exploitation processes of this position officially.
There are under the earth’s crust geothermal reserves formed by rainwater filtering and combining with heat to form steam. So what geothermal power plants do is extract that energy in the form of water and steam, and then the steam and is sent to a turbine responsible for generating electricity.
There is a lot of expectation Madrid, Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Palma and Gran Canaria, It is believed that what is found there could be worth a fortune in terms of renewable energy huge step for the entire region.