The energy transition success requires the optimisation of the renewable resource use. Until now, in the West Indies, geothermal resources have only been explored, characterized and exploited in the perspective of electrical power production. However, lower temperature resources could be recovered for thermal uses (storage of industrial waste heat, cold production via sorption systems, etc.).
Update the knowledge and insight on non-electric geothermal energy uses, by addressing, inter alia, the following questions:
- Which system suitable for resource valorisation?
- Which solution for which geological/geothermal context?
- Are the solution relevant in the Caribbean context?
- How integrate this resource in the Caribbean energetic mix?
- What are the technico-economic characteristics of the different solutions?
Pilot areas will be selected in Guadeloupe (carbonated environments of Basse-Terre, volcanic environment of Grande-Terre) with regard to the economic interests they represent.
These sites should be representative of the diversity of the geological and hydrogeological contexts of the Lesser Antilles.
Guadeloupe has abundant water resources, well identified and known on Grande-Terre and Marie-Galante; but much less studied on Basse-Terre and La Désirade. They include groundwater, perennial surface water (abundant mainly in Basse-Terre) and seawater. The thermal properties of environments with little or no aquifers are poorly described.
At the geological level, Guadeloupe is the only island of the Lesser Antilles located both on the internal arc (recent volcanism) and on the external arc (old volcanism). This privileged geographical position makes it possible to find in Guadeloupe most of the geological environments present in the Caribbean.
The study is planned in 2 phases:
Phase 1. Definition of energy-related issues in the Lesser Antilles.
- Given the exploratory nature of the task, it is necessary to constrain its content dynamically, by iterating both with the "knowledgeable" (subsurface specialists, thermodynamic machines) and organizations with a view of all the energy issues of the Lesser Antilles (ADEME, etc.) in order to select the "right" issues, ie those that make sense in the Caribbean island context.
Phase 2. Development of an energy model
- From a more technical point of view, for each problem selected (cold production, air conditioning, heat storage, etc.), an energy model will be built in order to estimate the advantages/disadvantages of integrating geothermal energy into the system compared to a reference solution. The project will also be an opportunity to update knowledge of the subsoil with a view to its non-generating exploitation.