For the first time in the world, a thermoelectric generator has been able to obtain geothermal energy from a hot rock without using moving parts or generating environmental impact. This technological prototype has been developed by a research team from the Public University of Navarra (UPNA) and installed in the Timanfaya National Park, which is looking for ways to transform volcanic heat into electricity.
Next Friday, March 28 at 5:00 p.m., at the Mancha Blanca Visitors and Interpretation Center, the professor of the UPNA Engineering Department, David Astrain, will explain the operation of this technology that was placed on Islote de Hilario in 2023 and is capable of guaranteeing continuous energy consumption to 30 people.
He will be accompanied in his speech by Miguel Araiz Vega, industrial engineer and doctor in Renewable Energies, and José Francisco Albert Beltrán, specialist in geothermal energy and doctor in Geological Sciences. Admission to the presentation is free, but prior registration is recommended because seating is limited.
The search for sustainable alternatives for energy production is one of the priority objectives of the Ministry of Ecological Transition and Energy, the entity that manages the Timanfaya National Park.
A day before the talk, the researchers will give a guided tour of the generators with high school students and Vocational Training cycles related to renewable energies and technology that are taught at the CIFP Zonzamas and the IES Las Maretas (Arrecife).
Both activities are part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Timanfaya National Park, which has been developing outreach activities for six months to share the knowledge generated by the scientific community in this volcanic ecosystem and to create spaces for debate with citizens.
Upcoming activities in April and May
After the success of Guardians of Timanfaya, the Lanzarote park will inaugurate the exhibition Memory of Timanfaya on Friday, April 25, an audiovisual tour with unpublished images provided by private collectors through Memory of Lanzarote.
For this exhibition, the collaboration of the higher cycle of Photography of the Pancho Lasso Art School has been counted on, which has made artistic recreations in which you can appreciate "the before and after" of some spaces and that has also used artificial intelligence tools to project the future they imagine for the park.
At the opening ceremony of the exhibition, which will take place at the Mancha Blanca Visitors and Interpretation Center, recognition will be given to several relevant people from Tinajo. On Saturday, April 26, a Tribute to Tinajo will be held: a popular festival with environmental education workshops, parades, live music and crafts that will celebrate the special cultural link that this Lanzarote municipality has with the territory of Timanfaya.
From May 20 to 23, the conference Flora, fauna and invasive species will be held with specialists who will explain the threat that some species pose to the fragile balance of the island ecosystem. The Timanfaya National Park is carrying out an important dissemination work in its digital channels, publishing news on the official website of the 50th Anniversary, providing content on Instagram, Facebook and X and making all the conferences available to citizens on its YouTube channel.