24hoursworld

Why Green Energy Paradise Could Make More Steam

Why Green Energy Paradise Could Make More Steam

90 years ago, Iceland was not only one of the poorest countries in the world, but also very dirty. A smog cloud had settled over the capital Reykjavik for almost the whole year – a result of the coal heating. Today, the European island, which is almost as close to the American continent as mainland Europe, is economically on a par with Austria and, above all, a model country in the fight against climate change and in the transition to renewable energy.

What seems self-evident today was also the result of massive upheavals in the far north, as the visit of a delegation from the energy industry and research (Energy AG and Energy Institute at the JKU) in Reykjavik shows.

  • OO Today: Hydrogen in Iceland

“It was the oil crisis that made Iceland rethink massively. We put the focus on regional energy supply and promoted the conversion with credit programs for new heating systems,” says Marta Ros Karlsdottir from the national energy agency Orkustofnun.

There is little doubt that Iceland will be carbon neutral by 2040. When it comes to power supply and heating, the country is already there. And when it comes to transport, the country is number two behind Norway when it comes to switching to e-mobility.

Why Green Energy Paradise Could Make More SteamWhy Green Energy Paradise Could Make More Steam

The prerequisites for making the country climate neutral are of course ideal. The volcanic island uses the heat of the earth (geothermal energy), the rivers and the sea. In the Hellisheidi power plant, one of the largest geothermal power plants in the world, water vapor from a depth of up to 2200 meters is used. So much electricity is generated and heat recovered here that the inhabitants of Iceland could be supplied three times.

The gases, including CO2, that come up during extraction are separated and mixed with water. The “mineral water” is then pumped back into the ground where it is mineralized and bound. “Carbon Capture” is one of the central research areas in Iceland. Work is also being done to produce the energy carrier methanol. The first plants are already being built in China and Scandinavia.

Why Green Energy Paradise Could Make More SteamWhy Green Energy Paradise Could Make More Steam

industry and tourism

Most of the energy in Iceland is used for aluminum production, which has settled on the island, and VA Tech Hydro and Andritz were instrumental in the construction of a 680 megawatt power plant. This has made it possible to bring more added value into the country.

But Iceland uses geothermal energy not only for energy production, but also for tourism. Alongside fishing, this has become an essential factor. Sometimes they go together, like with the “Blue Lagoon”. The Svartsengi geothermal project, for example, which pumps sea and fresh water to generate electricity and district heating, pumped the salt water into a surrounding lava field and later built a thermal bath that is now one of the island’s (wickedly expensive) attractions.

On the other hand, energy production is also vehemently opposed by tourism and nature conservation. A number of power plant projects are on hold because of opposition. Iceland would also be favored when it comes to generating electricity from wind power. The projects that exist have the potential of around 15 terawatt hours. But the number of wind turbines is lower than in Upper Austria.

There are several reasons why little is progressing with new projects. The needs of the country itself are met. And being able to export energy also requires long-term investments and logistics. One starting point could be the production of green hydrogen, which plays a central role in the energy transition.

Research is also being carried out on this in Reykjavik, and here there are links to Upper Austria: David Finger, a long-standing professor at the University of Reykjavik, has been a member of the Energy Institute at the Johannes Kepler University for a year. “Green hydrogen cannot be produced in Europe alone. We must strive to find other sources as well. This can be done in Africa via photovoltaics, but also here in Iceland,” says Energy Councilor Markus Achleitner.

Energie-AG General Director Werner Steinecker also considers the fuel cell and thus green hydrogen to be a technology of the future. “Currently, hydrogen is mainly used as a rocket fuel. When converting green electricity into gas, energy can be transported over longer distances because the gas infrastructure already exists.”

The managing director of the energy institute at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, Robert Tichler, refers to Iceland’s access to the use and storage of CO2. In his opinion, there are several ways in which Iceland and Upper Austria could work together on research and development projects.

Source: Nachrichten

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Posts

Girl raped, 16-year-old convicted

Girl raped, 16-year-old convicted

Image: VOLKER WEIHBOLD On the sidelines of a country festival in the Hausruckviertel, there was a sexual assault on a young person in May 2023,