Universidade de Vigo launches geothermal-solar pilot plant in Ourense

Researchers from the Universidade de Vigo have designed a pilot plant in Ourense to reduce energy costs for local thermal spas. The project aims to transition these facilities away from fossil fuels, such as gas and diesel, which are currently used to heat geothermal water from approximately 25-30 degrees Celsius to the required 80 degrees Celsius.

The pilot plant will utilize a combination of geothermal energy and solar photovoltaic power. It will employ electric heat pumps to extract thermal energy from the existing geothermal water and elevate its temperature. The Diputación de Ourense has approved a 150,000 euro subsidy to support the construction and testing of this system.

In a separate meteorological development, Ourense recorded a historic heat peak of 32.4 degrees Celsius on October 14. This marks the highest temperature recorded for this date in the historical series provided by Aemet and MeteoGalicia, surpassing the previous record of 32 degrees set in 2011.