Geothermal energy in Iceland
The Geothermal energy is Iceland's most important energy source .
General information about geothermal energy in Iceland
The island in the North Atlantic has an unusual amount of active volcanic systems (different counting methods are possible, Thor Thordarson speaks of 31 volcanic systems). Iceland has therefore long focused on exploring the connections between geological conditions, geothermal energy , water management and energy research . Researchers from Iceland are also working closely with the UN's Geothermal Institute in Tokyo . Numerous new technical developments have emerged from this research. Today Iceland is at the top of the world when it comes to using geothermal energy.
18 TJ or about 26.6% of the primary energy in Iceland comes from geothermal energy.
In daily life it turns out that geothermal energy is extremely inexpensive. In terms of continental European standards, it is being used wastefully. For example, some streets and sidewalks in Reykjavík and Akureyri are heated in winter by laying pipes, which always give off some heat, close below the surface or by using the waste heat from the district heating systems, which is still around 30–40 ° C.
In general, there is no closed water cycle in the Icelandic district heating network, but the hot, mostly sulfur-containing water of natural origin or water heated by means of a heat exchange process is fed directly to the consumers at around 60–90 ° C. After use, it is disposed of in the sewer with residual heat of around 30–40 ° C or channeled into outdoor whirlpools or swimming pools or used to keep ice-free. If this warm "wastewater" is not suitable for direct use in swimming pools etc. due to the ingredients, clean drinking water is heated up and used for this purpose via a heat exchanger.
Heating and power plants
There are five major geothermal power plants in Iceland, covering about 24.5% (2008) of the country's electrical energy needs. In addition, the geothermal energy provides heat for heating and hot water for around 90% of all Icelandic households.
With geothermal and hydropower , Iceland covers 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable sources.
On the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland
Svartsengi power plant
The Svartsengi power plant is located in the south-west of the island, near the international airport in Keflavík . In 1969 a high thermal field was discovered near Grindavík (over 200 ° C at 1000 - 2000 m) during drilling . This belongs to the Svartsengi volcanic system .
The Svartsengi power plant produced by the commissioning of a 30 MW turbine in December 2007, a total of 76.5 MW of electricity in steam turbines and from about 475 liters / sec. Water at 90 ° C approx. 80 MW in the heat exchange process , as the original water contains too many salts and minerals. The Bláa Lónið (Blue Lagoon) was created from the waste water from the power station . It was originally hoped that the excess water would seep into the permeable lava, which turned out to be incorrect. It is believed that the waste water contains substances that close the pores of the lava.
The construction of the power plant was recognized in 2002 as the greatest Icelandic engineering achievement of the decade 1971–1980.
Reykjanes power station
The Reykjanes power plant (also called Suðurnes power plant ) is located on the southwest tip of Iceland west of the Svartsengi power plant and uses the energy of the westernmost volcanic system of Iceland, which is also called Reykjanes and whose central high temperature area is at the Gunnuhver .
Initially, a 0.5 MW turbine was used to generate electricity for local industrial needs. In the meantime, a new power plant with two 50 MW steam turbines has been built, which went online in May and July 2006, respectively.
In the area of the central volcano Hengill
Nesjavellir power plant
The Nesjavellir power plant is located in the southwest of the island, near the Þingvallavatn and is the largest geothermal power plant in Iceland. It currently produces 120 MW of electrical power and around 1800 liters / sec. hot water (300 MW).
The volcanic heat of the central volcano Hengill is used by means of springs and boreholes.
The water used in Reykjavík for heating and general hot water supply does not come directly from the boreholes and hot springs at Hengill. It would be too rich in corrosive minerals. Instead, a heat exchange process is used: cold water from other sources in the area is heated to approx. 86 ° C in pipes using the hot water from the earth. Then it flows through 32 km long pipelines over the Hellisheiði to Reykjavík and loses only 3 ° C in temperature.
The water is collected in huge boilers (see: Perlan ) and distributed as required. In summer, part of the production is kept back for the greater demand in winter.
Hellisheiði power station
A fifth geothermal power plant went into operation on Hellisheiði in 2006 and, like that of Nesjavellir, uses the energy of the central volcano Hengill . Six 45 MW high pressure steam turbines and two 30 MW low pressure turbines were planned. In addition, hot water for district heating is generated using the heat exchange process.
The expansion will take place in stages. In 2006 90 MW were installed. The first turbine with an output of 45 MW went online on October 1, 2006, the second (also 45 MW) on October 16, 2006. In November 2007, a 33 MW low-pressure turbine was connected to the network and on November 15, 2008 two were added 45 MW turbines were inaugurated and increased the output of the power plant to 214 MW.
On October 1st 2011 the last two 45 MW turbines were put into operation. The power plant now generates 303 MW of electricity and 133 MW of hot water.
In the Mývatn area
The Krafla power plant near Mývatn currently has an output of 60 MW. The smaller Bjarnaflagsstöð in the same area has an output of 3.2 MW.
Perlan hot water tank
In the capital Reykjavík, hot water is stored in the Perlan . On the one hand, this supplies the city with hot water; on the other hand, it replaces winter maintenance in large parts of the city, as the streets and sidewalks are heated from here. The building was also converted into a tourist attraction. A restaurant and shops are located under a glass dome on the huge hot water tanks; it is a very good viewpoint of Reykjavík and the surrounding area. One of the six water tanks has been drained and until 2014 housed a small saga museum.
See also
Web links
Named power plants
- Information about the Svartsengi power plant (PDF; 475 kB; English)
- Nesjavellir power plant (English)
- Krafla Geothermal Station (English) ( Memento from August 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- Hellisheiði power plant (English)
Other web links
- Ingo Herbst: Iceland's volcanoes - a blessing for the island. In: W for knowledge . ARD , November 23, 2008, archived from the original on January 12, 2014 ; accessed on January 12, 2014 .
- Iceland Energy Authority (English)
- District heating network Borgarfjörður
- Krafla geothermal power plant
- Reykjavík heating system
- Húsavík geothermal power plant
- Hitaveita Suðurnesja (Icelandic)
Photos
Individual evidence
- ↑ https://orkustofnun.is/gogn/os-onnur-rit/orkutolur_2015-enska.pdf
- ↑ Energy statistics in Iceland 2010. (pdf, 3.6 MB) Orkustofnun The National Energy Authority, October 21, 2010, p. 4 , accessed on December 9, 2010 (English).
- ↑ Útnefndu helstu verkfræðiafrek síðustu aldar , Morgunblaðið , article from April 20, 2002