Preparing for WGC 2020 – a short history of geothermal in Iceland

Snorralaug, Iceland (Picture: TommyBee, public domain)

Alexander Richter 3 Feb 2020

In April 2014, ThinkGeoEnergy published its second Geothermal Magazine … and unfortunately its last. The goal was to provide a high-profile, glossy and international magazine to the geothermal world based on the same focus and view on the geothermal world as our website.

That edition of 2014 provided a country focus on Iceland and we thought it would be time to republish the content shared then ahead of the World Geothermal Congress taking place in Iceland, April 27 to May 1, 2020.

So we start herewith with a short history of geothermal energy and its utilization in Iceland – an article written by Parker O’Halloran.

If there is a game of geological roulette, Iceland certainly won in terms of geothermal energy. Which is very good, because this rainy, wind blasted island in the North Atlantic has few natural fuel resources; no oil, no coal, and trees that struggle to grow in the harsh climate.

The vikings that settled Iceland in approximately 874 must have been suspicious of the of the sulphury geothermal waters percolating up from the ground – a stark contrast to the cool, clear waters to be found in Norway. The first settlers in Reykjavík used the bubbling hot springs of Thvottalaugur in Laugarnes for washing clothes and bathing. This was surely practiced elsewhere in Iceland where geothermal waters were to be found. Perhaps the most famous, and still intact, pool from the settlement times is the beautiful round Snorralaug (Snorri’s pool) that belonged to the poet, historian, and politician Snorri Sturluson (1178-1241). The pool was hewn from rocks that channeled warm waters from a nearby hot spring and was said to inspire the poet Snorri while he soaked.

These hot waters were not always so welcomed though. “Túninu spillir jardhitinn” or “The geothermal heat spoils the hayfield” was a saying among the farmers of Iceland. It was not uncommon for new hotspots to appear and ruin the hay crop, and essentially pose a potentially deadly situation for these early subsistence farmers. For most of Iceland’s history, the island was a colonial hinterland that was one of the poorest in Europe. Until the early 20th century, people lived in unheated turf houses and space heating was primary dependent on body heat. Some domestic peat was used for heating, and later imported coal and oil was added to the heating mix. Coal and oil were used for space heating by only the most wealthy as they transitioned to wood and concrete houses. The transport of these fossil fuels was extremely expensive and, as Icelanders became acutely aware, sensitive to price fluctuations from events such as World War I and II, and the 1970’s global oil crisis that they had no influence over.

Although the first experiments to drill for geothermal waters for heating were done in the middle of the 18th century, it took time for technology to realize people’s aspirations. In 1908, an enterprising farmer named Stefán B. Jónsson was the first to use geothermal waters for space heating in Sudurreykir in Mosfellssveit close to Reykjavík. He connected a pipeline from his house to a hot spring approximately 500 meters away to heat his house. Jónsson’s success inspired other farmers with geothermal resources close at hand. By the 1930’s, approximately ten farm houses in Southern Iceland were heating with geothermal energy.

Although the technology was primitive, it proved successful and reliable enough to encourage discussion among the population of Reykjavík about heating all homes with geothermal. Not only would this untie residents from the costs of imported coal and oil, but also create a healthier environment. The government concentrated efforts to organize private and public interests into a partnerships that would eventually evolve into today’s Orkuveita Reykjavíkur (Reykjavík Energy). Using old mining equipment, geothermal wells were drilled around Reykjavík. In November of 1930, the elementary school Austurbaejarskóli became the first public building in Reykjavík to be geothermal heated, with water pumped through a three-kilometer pipe from Thvottalaugar, the very source where vikings once washed their clothes. The success of the project allowed further drilling and expansion to public buildings and private homes. Perhaps the project was too successful for its own good. Demand for hot water was greater than supply and the heating needs of many were not met. This combined with the doubling of the population of Reykjavík in the 1940’s stressed the burgeoning system.

Reykjavík was by no means alone in the pursuit of geothermal waters. The following decades saw many communities around Iceland tap into nearby geothermal fields including; Ólafsfjördur (1944), Hveragerdi (1947), Selfoss (1948), and Saudárkrókur (1953). Community schools were often built close to these geothermal sources and used the water not only for heating, but also for communal swimming pools. One can only imagine what those Icelanders raised in turf houses would have thought about such steaming pools.

Reykjavík made a concerted effort in 1960 to install geothermal space heating in all dwellings. By the 1970, the goal was to expand capacity to all houses in the greater Reykjavík area. Geothermal heat was proliferating around the country in other communities as well. This investment paid tremendous dividends for those using geothermal heat when the global oil crisis hit in 1973-74. The problem was that 50% of the population at the time was still heating with oil and the government was forced to subsidize this oil to avoid a crisis. However, from this calamity, Iceland made substantial changes and investment in expanding domestic sources of hydroelectric and geothermal energy.

Until this point, geothermal wells were drilled close to these “low temperature” zones where waters flowed to the surface. Better geological mapping, new drilling technology and the installation of a pipeline infrastructure allowed for Iceland to tap into areas further away from populations. Areas that were formerly thought of as “cold” were explored with new deep drilling technology that exploited much higher temperature water and thus more energy. Many technical innovations were developed to overcome obstacles such as high salinity and mineral contents of the waters from the deep drilling techniques.

In 1969, the Laxá Power Company constructed the country´s first geothermal power plant in the Lake Mývatn area, the 3 MW Bjarnarflag plant (now upgraded to 5 MW). Now owned by the National Power Company, Landsvirkjun, this plant is still producing steam for district heating, electricity and waters for the geothermal spa on Lake Mývatn. Nearby, the Landsvirkjun operates the Krafla geothermal power plant that came online in 1977 with 30 MW installed capacity, with another 30 MW added in 1997. There are five other geothermal plants situated around the country; the 75 MW Svartsengi owned by HS Orka, 120 MW Nesjavellir station owned by Reykjavík Energy, 2 MW at Húsavík owned by Húsavík Energy, 100 MW at the Reykjanes plant owned by HS Orka, and the 213 MW Hellisheiði Power Plant owned by Reykjavík Energy. The 90 MW Theistareykir Geothermal Project has been added in the northeast, not far from Krafla, with the first unit of 45 MW in 2017 and the second 45 MW in 2018.

Today, nine out of ten Icelandic households are heated with geothermal energy, the highest per capita in the world. The remaining houses are heated with a mix of electricity generated by hydroelectric and geothermal. Geothermal energy has contributed to lifting Iceland out of the damp and darkness of poverty to a place that is frequently rated as one of the top countries in the world in terms of quality of life. Iceland is still a technological pioneer and global leader in the geothermal energy movement and is often considered an ambassador of the benefits of this renewable energy.

Sources:

Björnsson, Brynjólfur, “District Heating in Iceland”, Mannvit, at: http://www.mannvit.com/GeothermalEnergy/DistrictHeating/DistrictHeatinginIceland/ (retrieved 4 March 2014)

Jonasson, Thorgils and Thordarson, Sveinn, “Geothermal District Heating in Iceland: Its Development and Benefits”, Paper Presented at the 26th Nordic History Congress 8 – 12 August 2007.

Jónsson, Sigurdur Óskar and Mórávek, Emil Örn, “How Geothermal Energy is Used in Iceland”, at: http://waterfire.fas.is/GeothermalEnergy/GeothermalEnergy.php (retrieved on 4 March 2014)

Landsvirkjun, at: http://www.landsvirkjun.com/Company/PowerStations/#_ (retrieved 8 March 2014)

Orkustofnun: National Energy Authority, “Meet Iceland – a Pioneer in the Use of Renewable Resources”, (Sept. 2009), at: http://www.nea.is/media/utgafa/H71-OS-veggspj-baeklingur.pdf