‘Geo’ Day Energy
Posted April 21, 2010 at 8:13 am 
Filed in: A series of eruptions from the Eyjafjallajökull (pronunciation) volcano in Iceland, and the resulting plume of ash, has grounded air travel across Europe since April 15th. In the past 24 hours, airspace in several European countries has begun reopening, but not all airports are open, and flights remain limited.
Eager to remain a hotspot of international interest, and taking advantage of its active geology, Iceland is in the news again today as Reykjavik Energy and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced that they will join forces to develop geothermal energy projects in Iceland and elsewhere. Iceland has ambitious goals for renewable fuels. By 2050, it aims to be hydrocarbon fuel-free. In addition to geothermal power production, projects also include synthetic fuels for ships and other transport applications, and electric vehicles.
The word ‘geothermal’ comes from the Greek ‘geo’/earth, and ‘therme’/heat. Heat can be recovered from the earth as either steam or hot water and can be used to warm buildings or generate electricity. Geothermal energy is clean and available 24 hours a day. The United States has abundant hydrothermal resources. In fact, the Department of Energy estimates that domestic resources are equivalent to a 30,000-year energy supply (this document provides a comprehensive overview of the technology and potential).
Yet between 2000 and 2008, installed U.S. geothermal electricity capacity increased just 8.6 percent. Today, as legislators continue to focus upon energy and climate, promoting geothermal energy appears to be a winning combination for enhancing long-term U.S. electricity supplies at an affordable level, and reducing the carbon intensity of the power sector.
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