Geothermal Energy - The Icelandic Experience and its Potential for Other

Countries

The Eighth Conference of Parliamentariansof the Arctic Region, Fairbanks, Alaska, August 11-

14, 2008Gudni 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 generationelectricity generation2004 (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 comebillions 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 • Geochemistry • Geophysics• The exploratory work

leads to a conceptual model of the geothermal field.

Geological mapping• Tectonic

structure, • Stratigraphy • Stratigraphy • Hydrothermal

alteration• Eruption history

Geochemistry

• Reservoir temperature

• Fluid properties• 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 • 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

Geothermal60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

ElectricityFossil fuels

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

1970

1973

1976

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1982

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2006

CO2 savings using geothermal water inReykjavik (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 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

Well in the Hengill area

Photo Ólafur G Flóvenz ISOR

Svartsengi Geothermal Plant

Primary Energy Use 1940-2006

Coal

100

125

150

175

200P

J

GeoPeat

Oil

Coal

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Hydro

Geo

Oil

0

25

50

75

1940

1945

1950

1955

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1995

2000

2005

Year

Hydro0%

20%

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000

Electricity Consumption 1965 - 2010

10

12

14

16

18

General

consumption

Power intensive

industries

0

2

4

6

8

10

1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

TW

h

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. 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. 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 • 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. 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 is looking at the possiblity of making electricity out of oil field water using geothermal technology