Geothermal in Spain

Geothermal plant supplying heat to greenhouses in Almeria

01.03.2022

Almeria hosts the first plant that uses geothermal energy to supply heating to agricultural crops in Spain. A large underground lake in the area, powered by internal volcanic activity makes the region ideal for the geothermal use.

Under the soil of Campo de Nijar (Almeria) there is a natural wealth that has motivated an innovative project for the benefit of the agricultural sector. The geothermal plant has been built by the Almeria-based company Cardial Recursos Alternativos to make the most of the potential of an area that has two key natural elements. One is water and the other is heat energy. At an average depth of 1,600 meters, a water resource was first found with an average temperature of 100 degrees Celsius.

Further explorations allowed to discover an underground sea of thousands of hectares of extension. The water contains minerals, so it is not suitable for human or agricultural use, but it is useful to be heated naturally. Thanks to the other existing element: internal volcanic activity. Although it has been extinct for thousands of years, it remains an intact , exploitable and inexhaustible resource , since it is used in a closed cycle. Hot water is extracted for use and then returned to the reservoir to restart the process.

Benefits for greenhouses
After the survey, the distribution and pipeline network has been built, so that the geothermal energy can reach the greenhouses. Farmers will benefit greatly: In addition to lengthening the productive period, to control the temperature jumps especially at the end of autumn and the volume of production per square meter, there are no polluting emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere. It is only comparable with sealed glass greenhouses, with the difference that the cost of energy consumption is much lower and the most demanding environmental quality certifications are met.

Source: ThinkGeoEnergy

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