Geothermal Energy - The Icelandic
Experience and its Potential for Other
Countries
The Eighth Conference of Parliamentarians
of the Arctic Region, Fairbanks, Alaska, August 1114, 2008
Gudni A. Jóhannesson Prof. PhD. Director General
Orkustofnun, the National Energy Authority of Iceland
World map showing the lithospheric plate boundaries (red dots = active
volcanoes)
It is all
about
geology
Geothermal map of Iceland. ( Basemap: Geological map of Iceland by Haukur Jóhannesson and Kristján
Sæmundsson 1999. Iceland. 1:1.000.000. Icelandic Institute of Natural History
Fuel shares in world
electricity generation
2004 (International Energy
Agency).
The global potential for
electricity generation
• The heat flow from the Earth's interior is ca 42 million megawatts of
power.
• The interior of the Earth is expected to remain extremely hot for
billions of year to come
• The known sources of geothermal energy are believed for Europe to
be able to replace 1 -2 % of the primary energy use and for the
world as a whole about 30%.
• The Icelandic example however shows us that exploitation of the
fields often leads to further findings.
• Electricity generation could in the year 2020 reach 40 GWe and the
total potential predicted by various sources ranges between 140 and
6000 GWe
Installed capacity for geothermal electricity production in 2007 in
different countries (Bertani, 2007)
Geothermal exploration
•
•
•
•
•
Multidisciplinary approach
Geological mapping
Geochemistry
Geophysics
The exploratory work
leads to a conceptual
model of the geothermal
field.
Geological mapping
• Tectonic
structure,
• Stratigraphy
• Hydrothermal
alteration
• Eruption history
Geochemistry
• Reservoir
temperature
• Fluid properties
Photo: Oddur Sigurðsson
Geophysics
• Detect subsurface high
temperature fields
• Resistivity soundings, mainly based
on TEM and MT measurements
• Analysis of natural seismic events
• Aeromagnetic and gravity surveys
• Detect water-bearing fractures
• The exploratory work leads to a
conceptual model of the
geothermal field.
Historical review
• 1900 - first attempts to pipe hot water houses and
greenhouses from natural hot springs
• 1928, the first district heating system in Reykjavik to a
swimming hall and the nearby houses.
• 1940 – 50 15 km long pipeline built from a geothermal
field outside Reykjavík.
• 1970 40% of all houses geothermally heated.
• 1973 the first world oil crisis came and the price of oil
rose significantly. Large programs started to enhance the
use of geothermal energy
• Present – 90 % of houses heated with geothermal and
10 % with electricity
Geothermal District Heating
Storage Tanks
Space Heating by Source 1970-2006
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
Geothermal
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
Fossil fuels
Electricity
19
70
19
73
19
76
19
79
19
82
19
85
19
88
19
91
19
94
19
97
20
00
20
03
20
06
0%
CO2 savings using geothermal water in
Reykjavik (Iceland)
Gunnlaugsson, 2008).
Electricity generation
• The first attempts to produce electricity around 1950
• 1970-80 60 MWe Krafla power plant
• Repeated volcanic eruptions, technological challenges.
Lost complement to new district heating projects. rapid
development in electricity production from high enthalpy
geothermal resources in Iceland.
• Electricity is now produced in six geothermal power
plants with total of 485 MWe installed and an annual
production of more than 3600 GWh.
• Planned geothermal power plants are
expected to bring the total power
capacity up to 1 GW
Photo Ólafur G Flóvenz ISOR
Well in the
Hengill area
Svartsengi Geothermal Plant
Primary Energy Use 1940-2006
200
100%
175
Coal
80%
Coal
Oil
150
60%
125
100
20%
75
0%
1940
50
Oil
Hydro
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
2000
Geo
25
Year
2005
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
1960
1955
1950
1945
0
2000
Hydro
1940
PJ
Geo
Peat
40%
Electricity Consumption 1965 - 2010
18
16
14
TWh
12
10
8
6
Power intensive
industries
4
2
General
consumption
0
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
2000
2005
2010
New technologies
• Refined technologies have enhanced the ability to locate
geothermal sources more accurately.
• The improved technology and control of drilling has
made it possible to direct and monitor the track of the
borehole in a very efficient way.
• New research activities aim at drilling deeper and closer
to the magmatic intrusions in the crust into supercritical
steam at temperatures up to 500OC.
• Development of new turbines based on binary and
hydrocarbon cycles are being developed to extract
mechanical power from water and steam at lower
temperatures.
The Deep Drilling Project
Heat pumps
Economic alternative to
electrical heating
Efficiency is greatly
improved with increased
temperature of the heat
source
www.sev.nu/varmepumpar.shtml
Icelandic activities abroad
• Icelandic international aid - geothermal energy.
• The Geothermal Training Programme (GTP) of The
United Nations University (UNU) Students from China
(65), Kenya (41), and the Philippines (31) and eighteen
other countries have sent 5-25 participants.
• Icelandic specialists from the private and the official
sectors are now active as consultants or active players in
Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Russia, South
America, Indonesia, China, Greece, Turkey, New
Zealand. El Salvador, Nicuaragua, Germany, USA,
Hungary, Slovakia and Poland.
Trainees and instructors of The Geothermal Training
Programme (GTP) of The United Nations
University (UNU) on surface exploration, Kenya, 2007.
Sustainability
• The interior of the Earth is expected to remain extremely hot for
billions of year to come, ensuring an inexhaustible flow of heat.
• Harnessing of geothermal power will not significantly affect the heat
balance of the earth and will not affect the possibilities of coming
generations to continue harvesting geothermal energy
• Locally however some reservoirs can, in some cases, be emptied of
heat energy.
• In Iceland the water geothermal fluid is contaminated mostly with a
small concentration of CO2 and sulfuric compounds, SH2 H2S .
• The basaltic rock has good ability to bind CO2 in the form of the
mineral calcite in the pores of the rock A pilot project to capture and
fix CO2 from power plants in the underlying rock is ongoing.
Conclusion
• The Icelandic experience shows that generating
electrical power from geothermal is a viable industry that
attracts large industrial investors
• The nature of geothermal files systems can vary in
geology and chemistry which demands a large input of
R&D in the planning and erection of new power plants.
• The geothermal fields and the power plants have been a
stable and reliable provider of electricity over long time
and yielded excellent economical results.
• Geothermal power seems to be one of our best bets to
make a significant reduction of the CO2 emissions in an
economical way.
USA TODAY Tuesday
• The operator of Chena Hot Springs resort
is looking at the possiblity of making
electricity out of oil field water using
geothermal technology