Iceland's

Geothermal
Energy
Iceland is recognized for its geothermal energy, but
to make the most of this natural resource, icelanders
need to go deep in the earth's core.

As a result, Iceland began a Deep Drilling Project

(IDDP), but quickly discovered a concealed
obstruction around two kilometers down, causing the
drill bit to become stuck all of the time.

Everything became evident when tiny pieces

of volcanic glass began to pour up the borehole that
was created. A team was drilling into a magma
chamber but , the drilling equipment was quickly
ruined, and the borehole collapsed.

They hadn't intended to collide with magma. Drilling

down into Iceland's volcanic crust was, nevertheless,
confirmed as a solid option. The temperature at the
bottom of the hole was incredible, reaching over
900°C (1,652F) , so when they pumped in water, it
created superheated steam at high pressures, ideal
for energy generation.
The extreme temperatures and pressures near
the magma chamber, where the team of
the IDDP was drilling, would have generated
36 megawatts of electricity, ten times the
amount produced by most existing wells. A
single deep well could power tens of
thousands of homes and match the output of
an entire geothermal power plant.

That's why, seven years later, IDDP is at it

again, and they're on the verge of finishing
what could be the world's hottest borehole.

Iceland is dotted with geothermal power

plants , each consisting of many wells that
tap into the country's underlying heat.
However, the majority of these are only a
few inches deep, so icelanders must delve
deep to make the most of the abundant
natural energy supply.
Geothermal energy is one of the
world's largest untapped clean energy
supplies. However, managing the severe
conditions in deep wells is a huge task.
So IDDP, is pushing geothermal
technology into uncharted areas. And it's
possible that the rest of the world may
well follow.

However, not everyone in Iceland supports

the development of geothermal energy.
Some believe power companies have over-
used locations like the geothermal power
plant Reykjanes, potentially depleting
their supplies too soon.

Others are concerned that drilling for

water and injecting it into the ground
would result in earthquakes. The danger
is real enough that for example , power
company facilities in Reykjanes
are designed to withstand earthquakes.
Unfortunately, in 2008 Iceland has been in the
news due to the collapse of its financial system
and currency.

But Iceland claimed that its use of inexpensive

energy would help it turn its economy around.

In fact, Iceland has progressed from being one

of Europe's poorest countries, relying on peat
and imported coal for energy, to a country that
leads the world in geothermal development,
exports its technical expertise, and has a high
standard of living, with nearly all stationary
energy derived from renewable sources.

Icelanders today use geothermal energy for both

generating electricity and heating, with
geothermal power plants contributing 25% of
the country's total electricity production and
instead of burning coal in a boiler to make
steam, Icelanders use steam directly from the
earth's core.