“It’s not really about energy, it’s about the economy,” said Grímsson. “It’s about the economic transformation of the country to realize that the move from fossil fuel over to clean energy is fundamentally good business – it’s fundamentally the road to prosperity and economic achievement.” - President of Iceland, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson,
geothermal energy
There is an overabundance of renewable energy in Iceland, in the form of geothermal power. This is
due to the island's location: the Mid-Ocean Ridge runs right through the middle of Iceland and is the cause of over 200 volcanoes.
Powered 100% by renewable clean energy and
able to completely sustain itself, Iceland has a dilemma of "use it or lose it", which had prompted Invest in Iceland, a movement promoting green energy, to try and encourage or persuade companies such as fish farms and
industrial-scale greenhouses, to move to Iceland and take advantage of the abundant cheap clean energy.
An example of the usage of this power is in the amount of power used from high-temp fields and low-temp fields all over Iceland, tapped from over 600 hot springs.
The total available heat from the high-temperature fields was found to be 10^20 J. When converted to electricity, this corresponds to 175,000 MW-yr. (Gudmundsson and Palmason 569)
due to the island's location: the Mid-Ocean Ridge runs right through the middle of Iceland and is the cause of over 200 volcanoes.
Powered 100% by renewable clean energy and
able to completely sustain itself, Iceland has a dilemma of "use it or lose it", which had prompted Invest in Iceland, a movement promoting green energy, to try and encourage or persuade companies such as fish farms and
industrial-scale greenhouses, to move to Iceland and take advantage of the abundant cheap clean energy.
An example of the usage of this power is in the amount of power used from high-temp fields and low-temp fields all over Iceland, tapped from over 600 hot springs.
The total available heat from the high-temperature fields was found to be 10^20 J. When converted to electricity, this corresponds to 175,000 MW-yr. (Gudmundsson and Palmason 569)
greenhouse agriculture
Greenhouse grown produce and fodder is the
secret to sustainable agriculture in Iceland.
Consumables like strawberries, numerous vegetables, even bananas are grown using geothermal steam and richly nutritious heated
soils available from all over the island.
The naturally cold temperatures eliminate the
need for pesticides, since insects cannot live in
that environment.
Invest in Iceland states that the use of greenhouses in Iceland include such green measures as
secret to sustainable agriculture in Iceland.
Consumables like strawberries, numerous vegetables, even bananas are grown using geothermal steam and richly nutritious heated
soils available from all over the island.
The naturally cold temperatures eliminate the
need for pesticides, since insects cannot live in
that environment.
Invest in Iceland states that the use of greenhouses in Iceland include such green measures as
- Zero carbon footprint
- Pesticide-free growth
- Low cost production
the future of geothermal power
A proposed electric cable to be run under water from Iceland to the UK is being discussed seriously. This cable would be the longest in the world; over 600 miles (1000 km) and would bring almost unlimited power to the UK using hydroelectric power and geothermal energy. IceLink interconnector site provides information on this process, and explains the numerous benefits of sharing Iceland's abundant energy.
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