| In the area of renewable energy, Iceland is one | | | | producing 4.5 million liters per year of methanol |
| of the world leaders. Currently, renewable or | | | | which will be blended into fuel for general |
| green energy sources provide 72% of the | | | | automotive consumption. |
| country's electricity needs. And, Iceland is one of | | | | As many people know, most homes and |
| the few countries with plans to completely wean | | | | businesses in Iceland are heated by thermal |
| themselves off of fossil fuels in the near term. | | | | water, the intentional byproduct of many of the |
| Iceland derives this energy from two main | | | | geothermal plants. This very hot water is piped |
| renewable sources, geothermal and hydroelectric. | | | | into all the major cities, such as Reykjavik and |
| Currently, the country gets about 26% of its | | | | Akureyri as well as some of the most rural |
| power needs from geothermal power and the | | | | locations imaginable. In fact, well before the |
| remainder from its many hydropower plants. The | | | | country was producing electricity from geothermal |
| country has numerous power plants, of both | | | | plants, it was heating homes. This is obviously a |
| types around the country and plans to develop | | | | very important energy source for a cold climate |
| two more geothermal plants by 2010. | | | | and one of the big reasons that Iceland has such |
| Sure, one could argue that supplying energy to a | | | | excellent air quality because it has not had to burn |
| population of approximately 300,000 is a lot easier | | | | fossil fuels for home heating for the majority of |
| than 300,000,000 like in the United States. And, | | | | the population for many, many decades now. |
| Iceland did develop these resources out of | | | | Iceland is a true innovator in geothermal energy. |
| necessity, because it has few other natural | | | | A recent project of note was the development |
| resources. This was true especially in the early | | | | and construction of the world's first geothermal |
| stages of Iceland's industrial development. That | | | | power plant utilizing Kalina technology. This |
| fact belies the country's current and ever-growing | | | | innovation is drawing interest from countries |
| commitment to environmental quality and | | | | around the world who wish to develop new |
| sustainability. So, however they got to this place | | | | geothermal power plants utilizing this latest |
| may be a mute point; the fact is, they are | | | | technology which is capable of generating |
| currently one of the leading countries in the | | | | significantly more energy from low temperature |
| utilization of renewable energy and they may | | | | geothermal fields. |
| have much to teach the rest of the world. Iceland | | | | One of the last areas of energy consumption that |
| is a country that has leap-frogged out of relative | | | | Iceland intends to tackle is the use of gasoline and |
| obscurity to international prominence in renewable | | | | here too the country has plans to completely |
| energy technology. In many ways, the country's | | | | wean themselves off of gasoline powered |
| small size and minimal industrial development as | | | | automobiles by approximately 2020 through the |
| compared to other developed nations is now an | | | | utilization of hydrogen as the sole fuel source for |
| asset, leaving the country more nimble and less | | | | all cars, trucks, buses and fishing boats. |
| dogmatically devoted to an infrastructure built | | | | I strongly believe that we will be hearing much |
| upon fossil fuel consumption. | | | | more from this tiny island nation just below the |
| Recently, a local engineering company, Mannvit | | | | Arctic Circle in the coming years and hopefully |
| and a California-based technology company named | | | | many developed and developing nations will start |
| Carbon Recycling International, have started the | | | | following their lead and the lead of other forward |
| development of the world's first geothermal to | | | | thinking countries. |
| liquid fuel plant. The plant will have the capacity of | | | | |