AGEOCOL, a Combined Effort to Promote the Geothermal Energy in Colombia

Abstract

Different drivers have moved Colombia in the right direction of developing its renewable resources in the last years. These mainly include international commitments to increase the use of renewable energy sources and reduce greenhouse emissions, the need for independence of hydric resources especially during droughts, and the need to supply power to remote communities not connected to the main electrical grid. Geothermal energy is taking its share in this development. The Colombian Geothermal Association, AGEOCOL, is a nonprofit professional association with scientific and educational vocation consolidated in 2018. It was established to bring together the academia, government, and industry to promote the use of geothermal resources in Colombia with social and environmental responsibility. Since AGEOCOL’s conception, its activities have focused in coordinating efforts and resources to create a unified workforce. Establishing an association and running it has provided numerous opportunities to learn and grow. This paper presents the context of the geothermal energy in Colombia perceived from AGEOCOL, describes the processes followed to establish this association, and discusses the challenges to foster the development of geothermal energy in Colombia in the next decade