#hellisheiði

[boringiceland]

Hellisheiði í desember

[earthstory]

Hellisheiði power plant

Iceland is not called the land of fire and ice without good reason — it straddles the edge of the Arctic circle and is located on both the Iceland hotspot and Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Because of its unique geological setting, hydrothermal and geothermal energy are the main sources of energy for Icelanders.

Reykjavik Energy operates Hellisheiði, the largest energy plant in Iceland. Hellisheiði is located within the Hengill volcanic area in southwest Iceland, which covers 112 km2 and is one of the largest geothermal areas in Iceland. Hengill itself is an active volcanic ridge that experienced at least three eruptions within the last 11,000 years.

One of Reykjavik Energy’s main projects is the CarbFix project, whose primary goal is to optimize industrial methods for sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) into volcanic rocks to offset CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. The working principle is fairly simple — CO2 is injected into high-temperature groundwater, which becomes acidic and subsequently reacts with surrounding volcanic rock to produce stable carbonate minerals.

Of course, the actual application is far less simple. Researchers use complex geochemical models to predict and optimize CO2 injections into groundwater; all field-scale injections are also carefully monitored. Iceland is already considered a global standard for green energy optimization; the CarbFix project further underlines the country’s concern toward pressing environmental issues. Based on the first several years of this project, scientists estimated in 2016 that 95% of the CO2 injected into this rock type was converted into rock within 2 years. 

-DC

Photo credit: http://bit.ly/1Ig82JZ

References and further reading http://www.or.is/en

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6291/1312

[istishia]

Little bus trip. #iceland #hellisheidi #hellisheiði

[boringiceland]

Fellin á leiðinni niður Hellisheiðina

[boringiceland]

Hrafn fyrir utan Litlu Kaffistofunni á Hellisheiðinni.

[environmentalwatch]

Direct Air Capture Turns CO2 to Stone

Direct air capture is one of the newest tools in the fight against climate change, and it's growing in popularity.

Direct air capture is one of the newest tools in the fight against climate change, and it’s growing in popularity. According to research agencies like the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, we’re at a point where reducing emissions alone will not stop the harmful sorts of climate change. We also need to clean up our mess, including removing a massive amount of carbon…

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[istishia]

On my way home. #iceland #hellisheidi #hellisheiði

[blackblogrepresents]

Pedro Alvarez - The Observer

The Observer are running a new series about the future of power, and different sources of energy. For the first instalment, the focus turns to Reykjavik’s Hellisheiði geothermal power plant, and Pedro has shot some beautiful accompanying shots for the article. To read in full, take a look here. 

Keep your eyes peeled for more images from Pedro as the series turns to different areas and sources of power.