1

Jónas Ketilsson

Manager - Geothermal Development and Research

National Energy Authority of Iceland

Geothermal Energy in Iceland

Visit of students in Introduction to Environmental Sciences to Orkustofnun

November 16th 2011

Geothermal resources in Iceland

Defining the terms resource & reserve

• Resources: are those which have been

surveyed, their quantity and quality

determined and are being used in

present times. The development of an

actual resource depends upon the

technology available and the cost

involved. Potential resources are based

on theories of possible extraction.

• Reserve: That part of the resource which

can be developed profitably with

available technology is called a reserve.

• The reserve and resource are thus

transient parameters. Depending on

energy price, technology and information

at hand.

Resource

Reserve

Information

En

erg

y P

rice

& T

ech

no

log

y Pro

tectio

n

Geothermal Fields in Iceland

Tavg = 0°C (january) to 10°C (july) in Reykjavík

Thermal Gradients in Iceland Transform fault zone (þverbrotabelti)

A B C

2

Tectonic movement

Black: Spreading axis / rift zone - Rekbelti

Red: Transform fault zone - Þverbrotabelti

Pink: Transtensional zone - Sniðrekbelti

Blue: Flank zone - Hliðarbelti

Fissure swarm in Scotland

Mull fissure swarm that Kristján Sæmundsson has been

looking into.

High Temperature Systems

• 200 – 350°C (no real upper limit)

• Depth: 1 – 3 km

• Related to volcanism and plate boundaries

• Suitible for electricity production with conventional turbines

• Cold groundwater heated up in CHP plants like Nesjavellir and Svartsengi

High temperature systems

Geophysical Exploration Methods

• Resistivity Methods

• Seismic monitoring

• Geochemistry

• Geological structure

• Gravity surveys

• GPS monitoring

Low Temperature Systems

• Below 100 °C, convective systems.

• The heat source is unknown in some cases. It is likely that due to high temperature gradients in some areas the water is heated up. In other cases the hot water can travel hundred of kilometers through fractures from a source of hot rock.

• Mainly found outside the volcanic rift-zone in recently fractured basement. Linked with seismic activity.

• Used for space heating, bathing, fish farming etc.

A borehole at Sudurreykir. The houses in the background

are the ones first heated with geothermal water in Iceland

in 1908.

3

Low Temperature Systems Terrestrial Energy Current and

Stored Heat

Master Plan for hydro and geothermal

energy resources in Iceland

• Parliament started the work in 1997

• Proposed power projects are

evaluated and on the basis of:– Environmental impact

– Social impact

– Economical impact

• Projects are then categorized– To be developed

– To be protected

– To be considered

• Has been presented to the

Parliament for legislation

Potential

PowerHydro

TWh/a

Geoth. TWh/a*

Existing 13 5 26%

To be developed 3 10 20%

To be protected 8 18 39%

To be considered 6 3 14%

Total 31 35

• Possibly a new era in geothermal

development in a few decades

– 400-600 °C, supercritical steam.

– 40-50 MWe from each well.

– IDDP well at Krafla will be finalized in year 2009.

• IDDP-1 drilled in Krafla gives 20-30

kg/s of 385-410°C fluid from a

depth of 2100 m, the highest ever

measured in Iceland.

• A new frontier in numerical

modeling of the roots of geothermal

systems.

Enhanced Geothermal Systems

Source: animation from Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) , US DOE/www.eere.energy.gov

Geothermal Development in Iceland

4

• In earlier centuries, peat was commonly used for heating houses, as well as seaweed. This continued even after the importation of coal for space heating was initiated, after 1870.

• The use of coal for heating increased in the beginning of the 20th century, and was the dominating heat source until the end of WW2.

• In the 1950s, the equipment to utilise oil for heating was improved, obviously leading to increased consumption. As a result, coal was practically eliminated from space heating in Iceland about 1960.

House heating prior to geothermal

In the rural regions, the burning of

sheep-dung was common, as the

distribution of coal or peat was

difficult due to the lack of roads.

Peat was commonly used for house heating

Initial use of

geothermal heat and electricity• During Reykjavik’s first 1000

years geothermal heat was primarily used for washing, bathing and cooking.

• The first uses of geothermal energy to heat houses can be traced back to a farmer in 1908 who led a pipe to his farm.

• The first hydropower turbine began operation in 1904.

A borehole at Sudurreykir. The houses in the background

are the ones first heated with geothermal water in Iceland

in 1908.

1928

The beginning of drilling in the capital• The Prime Minister, Jón Þorláksson,

an engineer, initiated the discussion on building a district heating system in Reykjavik in 1926. He later became the Major of Reykjavik in 1933-1935.

• Discussions took place on ownership of resources. It was decided that he who owns the land owns the resource.

• Two decades after the first farmer led a pipe to his farm drilling initiated at Þvottalaugarnar (washing springs) in Laugardalur.

• After two years of drilling 14 shallow wells where drilled. The result was 14 l/s of artesian flowing water at 87°C (deepest 246 m).

Laugaveitan

1930

Distribution of hot water

• From Laugarveitan an extensive distribution system of hot water was installed. Transporting the hot water to the town through a 3 km long pipeline.

• Two primary schools (Austurbæjarskóli shown above), a swimming hall, the main hospital and 60 family homes in the capital area.

District heating was one of the

main issues in the council

elections in Reykjavik in 1938.

Here there are two opposites

depicted, on the one hand black

coal smoke looming over the city

so that the sun is blackened, and

on the other clean air when a

district heating system has been

introduced and the population

can see the sun!

1938

1943 200 l/s of 86°C water, 1300 houses connected1945 2850 houses connected (population 44,000)

Concrete-casedinsulated main pipes

1939-1943

18 km pipeline installed to Reykjavik

5

Laugarnes

– Area: 0.28 km2

– Heat: 125-130 °C

– Max capacity : 330 l/s

– Wells: 10

Four wells can be seen

from the Grand Hotel

Bolholt

RG-20

LaugarnesTotal production 236 Gl or 162 l/s

Three wells in the Elliðaár-area

Birth of the Power Intensive Industry

• The State Fertilizer Plant in 1953 kicked off the power intensive industry.

• The Burfell hydroelectric plant began in 1965 and by 1972 the first glacial river power plant in Iceland was fully operational. The majority of the power was sold to the ISAL aluminum plant, the first of its kind in Iceland.

• After 1995 further installments have been for the power intensive industry.

High-voltage transmission line (Photo: Oddur

Sigurðsson)

Oil Crisis Changes National Policy

• When the oil crisis struck in the early 1970s, fuelled by the Arab-Israeli War, the world market price for crude oil rose by 70%.

• About the same time, roughly 90,000 people enjoyed geothermal heating in Iceland, around 43% of the nation. Heat from oil served over 50% of the population with the remaining population using electricity. In order to reduce the effect of rising oil prices, Iceland began subsidising those who used oil for space heating.

• The oil crises in 1973 and 1979 (Iranian Revolution) caused Iceland to change its policy, deemphasising oil, turning to domestic energy resources, hydropower and geothermal heat.

Space Heating in Iceland from 1970-2008.

6

Avoided cost by harnessing

a domestic source of energy

Savings in 2008 equivalent to 91% of the total imports of refined oil products

Comparison of energy prices for

residential heating

• Geothermal power and heat is cost competitive with large hydro in Iceland and is not subsidised

• Direct oil and electrical heating is subsidized in Iceland for regional purposes

Primary Energy Use 1940-2009 Highlights for 2010

• All stationary energy is renewable

• 85% of primary energy is renewable– Geothermal contributes 66% of primary energy (155 PJ)

– Highest ratio in OECD - and probably in the world

• Oil still needed for 14% of the primary energy demand– About half to operate the fishing fleet

– The other half mainly for motor vehicles

• Electricity generation amounted to 17.1 TWh– Hydro power plants 74%

– Geothermal power plants 26%

– 77% to the power intensive industry

• 90% of houses heated with geothermal energy,9% with electricity and less than 1% with oil

• The energy challenge is Iceland is transforming the

transport sector and fishing fleet to a clean energy source

• Powering the future will take a village of technologies

• 1/3 of the generating capacity of Hellisheiði could fuel

70% of motor vehicles in Iceland!

Electricity as fuel?

Geothermal Energy Utilisation

Sectoral Share

7

Geothermal Electricity Generation

50 MW

100 MW

200 MW

Geothermal Power Plants to be developed

National Energy Authority, Kristinn Einarsson, September 2011

ExistingTo be developed

100 MW

200 MW

50 MW

Working Group on

Sustainable Geothermal Utilization