Geothermal power in Iceland - wikipedia Geothermal power in Iceland Geothermal borehole outside the Reykjanes Power Station Due to the geological location of Iceland ( over a rift in continental plates ), the high concentration of volcanoes in the area is often an advantage in the generation of geothermal energy, the heating and making of electricity. During winter, pavements near these areas ( such as Reykjavik and Akureyri ) are heated up. Five major geothermal power plants exist in Iceland, which produce approximately 26.2 % ( 2010 ) of the nation 's electricity. In addition, geothermal heating meets the heating and hot water requirements of approximately 87 % of all buildings in Iceland. Apart from geothermal energy, 73.8 % of the nation 's electricity is generated by hydro power, and 0.1 % from fossil fuels. Consumption of primary geothermal energy in 2004 was 79.7 petajoules ( PJ ), approximately 53.4 % of the total national consumption of primary energy, 149.1 PJ. The corresponding share for hydro power was 17.2 %, petroleum was 26.3 %, and coal was 3 %. Plans are underway to turn Iceland into a 100 % fossil - fuel - free nation in the near future. For example, Iceland 's abundant geothermal energy has enabled renewable energy initiatives, such as Carbon Recycling International 's carbon dioxide to methanol fuel process. The following are the five largest power stations in Iceland. Geothermal energy also provides tourist attractions such as the Blue Lagoon. The geothermal water originates 2,000 metres below the surface, where freshwater and seawater combine at extreme temperatures. It is then harnessed via drilling holes at a nearby geothermal power plant, Svartsengi, to create electricity and hot water for nearby communities. This Blue Lagoon is based upon an amazing gift of nature driven by a respect from the natural environment and 100 % powered by clean geothermal energy. Hellisheiði Power Station ( 303 MW ) Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Station ( 120 MW ) Reykjanes Power Station ( 100 MW ) Svartsengi Power Station ( 76.5 MW ) Krafla Power Station ( 60 MW ) Þeistareykir Power Station ( 45 MW ) Above is the tectonic plate rifts of Iceland, with NVZ being the largest of all of them. There are many volcanoes that run along this rift including Peistareykir, Krafla, Fremri Námar, Askja, Tungnafellsjökull, Hágongur, Hekla, Vatnafjöll, Katla, Torfajökull, and Eyjafjallajökull. This rift runs from Akureyri to Reykjavik. See also List of power stations in Iceland Renewable energy in Iceland The Geothermal energy exhibition Iceland Deep Drilling Project Renewable energy by country References Jump up ^ Icelandic Energy Portal Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on 2012 - 10 - 31. Retrieved 2015 - 04 - 30. Jump up ^ `` Raforkuvinnsla ''. landsvirkjun.is. Archived from the original on 31 October 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2015. Jump up ^ Ministry of Industries and Innovation, Iceland ( 19 March 2014 ). `` The Icelandic National Renewable Energy Action Plan for the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources in accordance with Directive 2009 / 28 / EC and the Commission Decision of 30 June 2009 on a template for the national renewable energy action plans '' ( PDF ). European Comission. p. 3. Jump up ^ `` Energy in Iceland - Historical Perspective, Present Status, Future Outlook '' ( PDF ). Orkustofnun ( Iceland Energy Authority ). Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Energy Statistics in Iceland '' ( PDF ). Orkustofnun ( Iceland Energy Authority ). Retrieved 2006 - 09 - 20. Jump up ^ `` Technology ''. Carbon Recycling International. 2011. Archived from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2012. Jump up ^ Icelandic Energy Portal Jump up ^ Badaoui, Bachir. `` Geothermal Energy - Blue Lagoon ''. Smithsonian.com. External links Iceland Energy Authority Icelandic Energy Portal More information about Svartsengi power - plant More information about Nesjavellir power - plant More information about Krafla power - plant More information about Hellisheidi power - plant Photo Gallery from islandsmyndir.is Photo Geothermal power station Svartsengi Photos of Geothermal power plants at Reykjanes & Svartsengi Tiroler Bi Mannvit Engineering of Iceland RES - School for Renewable Energy Science in Iceland Keilir - Atlantic Center of Excellence Icelandic GeoSurvey Geothermal energy Category : Geothermal energy Geothermal energy Geothermal power Geothermal heating Geothermal gradient By country Armenia Australia Canada Chile China Denmark El Salvador Energy in Ethiopia Germany Iceland Indonesia Italy Japan Kenya Lebanon Lithuania Mexico New Zealand Philippines Portugal Romania Russia Turkey United Kingdom United States Technologies Aquaculture Desalination Geothermal heat pump District heating Binary Cycle EGS Heat pump Hot dry rock Energy Concepts Baseload power Capacity factor Energy storage Energy subsidies EROEI Category Portals : Renewable energy Energy Sustainable development Renewable energy by country Africa Ethiopia Kenya Morocco Seychelles South Africa Asia Afghanistan Armenia Bangladesh Bhutan China India Kazakhstan Nepal Pakistan Palestine Philippines Taiwan Thailand Vietnam Europe European Union Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Spain Sweden United Kingdom Other Albania Iceland Norway Russia Turkey North America Canada Costa Rica Honduras Mexico United States Oceania Australia New Zealand Tuvalu South America Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Category Portals : Energy Renewable energy Sustainable development Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geothermal_power_in_Iceland&oldid=848279809 '' Categories : Geothermal energy in Iceland Talk About Wikipedia Dansk Deutsch Norsk Polski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 30 June 2018, at 23 : 06 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: why iceland is a good place to use hydrothermal power
Answer: the high concentration of volcanoes in the area