Experimental development of 3d models for characterising geothermal reservoirs in the subsoil of the canaries using a combination of geophysical, geochemical and geological methods

The aim of this project is to carry out an experimental study of the use of 3D models to characterise geothermal reservoirs on the islands Tenerife, Gran Canaria and La Palma, to help further the development of geothermal energy in the archipelago.

The project is a collaboration between research organisations and companies. The Institute of Technology and Renewable Energies (ITER) is the project’s coordinator, and the other partners are: Petratherm Spain SL, Volcanology Institute of the Canary Islands (INVOLCAN), the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the University of Barcelona (UB).

This project involved the creation of a public-private research consortium to jointly help promote research, development and technological innovation in the field of geothermal energy, and thus foster stable cooperation in the medium-term between public and private players through R&D projects. The results of this project will help to secure energy supplies, strengthen the role of emerging energy technologies in an efficient and competitive way, and promote their integration in the Canarian energy system. The result is greater reliability of supplies, a more diversified energy mix and a positive impact on the environmental.

The research areas covered by this project are unique, for the groundbreaking way they have been deployed. At present geothermal renewable energy is still at a very early stage of evolution in Spain, and its development will depend largely on a better understanding of the natural resources available, which requires an innovative technology that has not yet been deployed in Spain.

The aim, therefore, of this project is the application of innovative geothermal exploration methods in areas of thermal anomalies both on the surface and at depth on land in the Canary Islands. The proposed methods are for use prior to assessment using geothermal probes, and will greatly help to identify optimal locations for this, while concurrently quantifying the geothermal potential in selected areas.

The project is co-financed by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Spanish government’s economy and competitiveness ministry.