ENERGY IN ICELAND - Orkustofnun

Almost 29% of primary energy in Iceland isimported and a little over 71% is domestic,renewable energy. Figure 7 shows the developmentof energy use in Iceland since 1940.The impact of rising oil prices in the 1970scan clearly be seen. The price hikes servedto accelerate the development of geothermalheating systems in Iceland. Coal is usedin the ferrosilicon and cement industry, butthe major share of imported petroleumproducts is used for fishing and transportation.It has not been technically feasible toutilize domestic energy in these sectors ofthe economy. This, however, may change inthe future, with increased use of hybrid cars,plug in hybrids and if hydrogen used as anenergy carrier becomes a reality.Table 1. Consumption of primary energyin Iceland, 2005.PJ ktoe %Hydro 25.2 603 16.3Geothermal 85.0 2,030 54.9Petroleum products 40.1 958 25.9Coal 4.6 109 3.0Total 154.9 3,700 100PJ: petajoule, 10 15 Joulektoe: kilotons of oil equivalent1 ktoe = 0.041868 PJ = 11.63 GWhFigure 7. Primary energy consumptionin Iceland, 1940–2005.In Figures 8 and 9, the primary energy usein Iceland is compared to that in the rest ofthe world. The unique position of Iceland, interms of renewable energy, is evident.Geothermal energy useThe utilization of geothermal energy hasbeen important since Iceland’s settlement,but in modern times geothermal energy hasplayed an increasingly important role in Icelandicenergy affairs. From space heating toswimming pools, snow melting and electricityproduction, geothermal energy is now anindispensable part of every Icelander’s life.Figure 8. World primary energy supplycompared to Icelandic primary energysupply in 2003.Figure 10 gives a breakdown of the utilizationof geothermal energy in 2005. The figureshows net energy utilized rather than primaryenergy. Estimated total supply of geothermalprimary energy is around 85 PJ.Space heatingGeothermal energy is used mainly for spaceheating in Iceland. Geothermal space heatingis the most common in Icelandic build-19