Climate News: Iceland Spotlight
By Forest Olson
The Climate Crisis is getting nothing but worse and although as a world we are seeing some progress, many countries are still not doing enough. This month, I want to tell you about one country that is taking serious measures to reduce global warming and doing unbelievably well. The country is: Iceland.
Over 99% of Iceland's electricity comes from renewable sources, with approximately 80% coming from hydropower and 20% from geothermal energy. As if this is not enough, Iceland’s government aims to become carbon neutral by 2040. Now, let’s look at some power sources in Iceland.
I: Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy is very important in Iceland: it heats 89% of Icelandic homes. Geothermal Energy also accounts for 54% of the primary energy in Iceland. Iceland has been quite important in the advancement of this technology, partially due to Iceland’s bountiful supply of locations that support geothermal energy production. One of, I believe, the most amazing features of geothermal power is that, in Iceland, any excess CO2 emissions are ejected back into the Earth to form rock. This process called Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) involves separating carbon from any other gasses and then sending it to a suitable site to be injected deep into the ground. The carbon is then stored at a depth of at least 1 kilometer (1093.61 yards) and over time will transform into one of the main components in marble and limestone: calcite, a harmless mineral. Iceland does not only use this method for the production of geothermal energy, they also use it for excess CO2 from the production of aluminum, and other materials.
II: Hydropower
Hydropower is another of Iceland’s biggest energy producers. In 2015 Iceland used 18,798 GWh of electricity. Renewable energy accounted for almost 100% of that number, with 75% coming from hydropower. Although this may seem like a lot of hydropower, according to a study in 2002, Iceland was only using 17% of the harnessable hydropower in the country. I believe that Iceland does a beautiful job using enough of its rivers for power, while keeping the country natural, beautiful and pleasant.
III: Solar
When one thinks of renewable energy, one may immediately think of solar, very common and, well, we aren’t going to run out of sunlight for a long time. So you may think Iceland would take advantage of this. But, Iceland has very low insolation, which is the power per unit area of electromagnetic radiation from the Sun. This means that Iceland has quite low potential for solar power.
IV: Wind Power
Experiments to find the feasibility of wind farms in Iceland are ongoing, but it could be a potential possibility in the future. In 2012, there were two wind turbines installed in South Iceland, and by 2015 Icewind, a wind atlas, was completed.
What Iceland has accomplished is amazing and should push other countries (such as the U.S.) to work just as hard to turn the climate crisis around. Iceland’s success is partially due to its unique geographical layout, but that does not mean this is impossible for other counties to achieve. It is possible to slow change, we just need the will. I would also like to point out, Iceland is not alone in dealing so well with climate change. There are a handful of other countries making great progress on turning around the climate crisis. So, I hope this has reminded you, we can fix this terrible problem we’ve made, and every little action matters.
Forest Olson is an 11-year-old environmental activist who has had a regular column in the Gifted Development Center Newsletter since the age of 9. To see his future columns, please sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page. You will see Forest’s insightful work every month and are sure to be inspired by the passion demonstrated by gifted young people for justice in our world.
