The geothermal technician is the professional qualified to plan, develop, operate and maintain installations of this type of renewable energy. He/she is a professional technically qualified to intervene in any of the design and operation phases of the installation, which has the particularity that part of the equipment is buried.

In its broadest sense, geothermal energy is the heat energy that the earth transmits from the inner layers of the earth's crust to the outermost part of the earth's crust. This energy can be used for heating, cooling and domestic hot water production as well as for industry. The basic principle of geothermal energy is that, regardless of the time of year, from a certain depth, the ground is always at a practically constant temperature: between 15 and 20 metres, the ground temperature stabilises at around 17 degrees Celsius. Thus, in winter, geothermal heat pumps absorb the heat from the ground and function as a heating system, while in summer they collect the cooler temperature from the ground to cool the environment. In this way, the geothermal energy installation functions as a heat exchanger, is always in operation and is a renewable energy present throughout the territory.

The main applications of geothermal energy in the home are the production of domestic hot water (DHW), heating in winter (applicable to any building, such as flats, retirement homes, hotels, greenhouses or farms) and air conditioning in summer, as well as for heating swimming pools. At the industrial level, apart from air conditioning, the energy generated can also be used in industrial processes.

• Carry out preliminary and necessary topographical surveys to know the characteristics of the land and the cost of drilling.
• Explore the possible alternatives for the future geothermal installation (vertical exchanger, surface exchanger or groundwater use).
• Perform a desk study of the thermogeological characteristics or by means of a Thermal Response Test (if necessary), to determine the specific parameters of soil temperature, thermal conductivity, exact depth, type of soil, etc.).
• Review the data previously obtained and carry out the planning of the project according to the energy needs of the future installation (single-family detached house, a sports facility, a residential building, etc.). Also consider the risks of the project (financial, new regulations, delays, resistance and use of materials, etc.) to ensure the success of the installation.

• Supervise the process of definitive drilling of the ground to make the pipes that will act as heat exchangers.
• Carry out the construction of the geothermal installation (heat pump, pipes, electrical system, regulating elements, etc.), ensuring the quality of the process always in accordance with the applicable regulatory requirements and in accordance with the technical requirements set in the project definition and also in accordance with the established costs.
• Responsible for directing and monitoring the start-up of the installation, evaluating the performance and cost parameters, and establishing the necessary adjustments until the results established in the planning phase are definitively obtained.

• Regularly carry out the general supervision of the operation of the installation and the general operations to ensure the useful life of the installation, considering the mandatory revisions established in the RITE (Regulation of Thermal Installations in Buildings), the annual maintenance certificate and the energy advice to the client (use, spare parts and updates in the installation, etc.) as well as the invoicing of the service.
  

Regulated training and graduates

• Grau: Enginyeria civil
• Grau: Enginyeria de l'energia
• Grau: Enginyeria en tecnologies industrials
• Grau: Geologia
• Professional Training Course (s) ind the field of Faciliites and maintenance services - Intermediate level: Heat production facilities
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Instal·lació i manteniment: Desenvolupament de projectes de xarxes i sistemes de distribució de fluids (Nivell 3)
• Professional Training Course(s) in the field of Installation and Maintenance - Advanced Level:Maintenance of thermal and fluid installations
• Professional Training Course(s) in the field of Energy & Water - Advanced Level: Renewable Energies
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Instal·lació i manteniment: Muntatge i manteniment d'instal·lacions calorífiques (Nivell 2)
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Instal·lació i manteniment: Muntatge i manteniment d'instal·lacions de climatització i ventilació-extracció (Nivell 2)
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Instal·lació i manteniment: Desenvolupament de projectes d'instal·lacions calorífiques (Nivell 3)
• Certificat de Professionalitat de la Família Instal·lació i manteniment: Planificació, gestió i realització del manteniment i supervisió del muntatge d'instal·lacions calorífiques (Nivell 3)

Complementary training

People management: Level 1

Orientation within reach: Level 2

Analytical thought: Level 3

Planning and organisation: Level 2

Concern for order and quality: Level 3

Technician

People who show an interest in the technical field find fulfilment in carrying out activities related to the design and manufacture of objects, machines, vehicles and/or infrastructures. These activities require the application of scientific and technical knowledge (laws of physics, calculations and mathematical formulas, properties of the materials, etc). Creativity is also necessary when coming up with optimal solutions for the functional requirements of the products to be designed. Therefore, the pragmatic application of scientific knowledge in order to develop solutions for the benefit of human beings is the main function of occupations in the technical field.

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Gas Network Operator

Facilities Maintenance Technician

Building energy efficiency technician

Facilities engineer

• Work hours

  Normally 40 hours per week.
  
  

• Salary

  Depending on the level of experience and responsibility, the salary ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 euros gross per year.
  
  

• Other features

  The most common geothermal energy installations are intended for existing houses with land and a small space in the house for the ground source heat pump, which works like a conventional heat pump and, like all heat pumps, requires a supply of electricity, for which a connection to the grid is required. In a new house or a new residential building, it must be considered that the boreholes will have to be drilled in the initial phase of construction of the foundations. In buildings, the installation consists of an energy exchanger with the ground connected to a heat or cold to the cooling or heating system, which can be underfloor heating, fan coil unit (FCU) or others. Depending on the exchange system, they can be classified as follows:
  • Vertical heat exchanger: a geothermal probe is drilled into the ground where water circulates inside it, absorbing the heat from the ground. Normally boreholes are drilled between 80 and 120 metres deep.
  • Surface exchanger: the plastic tubes through which the water that absorbs the heat from the ground circulates are located at a depth of 1 to 2 metres. It is necessary to have a large area of land in order to locate the tubes.
  • Groundwater use (open system): water is extracted from a well by means of a pump. The water is then returned to the aquifer. The groundwater in the aquifer must be abundant to ensure sufficient flow.
  The type, size and geometry of the geothermal collector are determined once the energy demand of the building, the thermogeological and the hydrogeological conditions of the ground are known. In general, for installations of more than 70 kW, this thermal characterisation of the subsoil is carried out by means of an in-situ test (Thermal Response Test), at the site where the geothermal collector will be installed.
  

• Professional category

  Technician