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The Catalan Energy Institute (ICAEN) and the Cartographic and Geological Institute of Catalonia (ICGC) have signed an agreement to begin the development of the "Strategic Plan to promote the energy use of GeoEnergy in Catalonia on the horizon 2030 (GEOENERGIA-CAT 2030 Plan)". The Plan aims to explore the potential of the different types of geothermal energy in Catalonia and carry out a diagnosis and a forecast of the evolution of technological development to exploit it. In addition, it will identify the measures and actions necessary to take advantage of this indigenous renewable resource, with the aim of contributing to the decarbonisation of the various sectors of the economy of Catalan society.
Geoenergy integrates the geological and technological knowledge of energy sources coming from the subsoil, and includes both the use of geothermal energy - which refers to both the use of the Earth's internal heat and the thermal exchange in the more superficial subsoil - as well as the geological storage of energy vectors. Geothermal energy is considered an inexhaustible resource with thermal applications both in the production of cold and heat through heat pumps, and in the direct use of heat for applications for large urban networks or for industry, in addition of its contribution to the generation of electricity.
The agreement between the ICAEN and the ICGC aims to lay the foundations for promoting the use of the potential energy resource that exists in Catalonia in the field of geoenergy. The Plan will also present an assessment of the potential of surface geothermal energy and also of geothermal energy of deep origin, for which Catalonia has a very favorable geological context, and will also assess the capacities of geological storage, or of cold and heat or vector energy such as hydrogen.
Based on this diagnosis, a set of strategic lines and specific actions and measures will be proposed in order to take advantage of this potential and overcome those barriers that may be limiting its use. A schedule will also be drawn up to implement these measures in the 2030 horizon.
Geoenergy and energy transition
The preparation and application of the GEOENERGIA-CAT 2030 Plan must contribute to the decarbonisation of Catalan society in the year 2050. The Energy Outlook of Catalonia 2050, the document that guides the country's energy transition and acts as a reference at the time of designing and applying energy policies, identifies the need to maximize the contribution of direct-use renewable technologies, such as geothermal energy, to achieve this goal.
Thus, and focusing on the contribution of geothermal energy, PROENCAT 2050 envisages that heat pumps will be widely implemented, so that by 2050 this technology will already be responsible for 100% of cooling in the buildings, and which will have a presence of 82% in heating and 62% in the production of sanitary hot water in all the houses in Catalonia.