SPECIAL FEATURE
makers have a short window in power, which is normally less than the average development time of a geothermal plant. The rule of thumb is that it takes about a decade until you’ll have some geothermal energy production. It’s possible to accelerate things by spending more money, but a lot depends on the size of the project. This complexity is also an obstacle to greater investment from the private sector.” Another complication is that finding and exploiting geothermal resources relies on cooperation between several different disciplines. “It's not just engineers doing a survey and then coming in to erect a windmill or install solar panels,” says Axelsson. “Geothermal involves so much more: Starting with geoscientists trying to map the resource, engineers designing the various components, environmental people making sure things are done properly, plus solid project management to keep the process coordinated and on track.” The future “In terms of scaling up,” says Hauksdóttir, “the most effective approach is to work
and it was that window of opportunity that gave politicians in Iceland the courage to say: ‘We're going all the way with geothermal energy’.” So, on balance, given the advantages of geothermal – its steady baseload irrespective of the weather, its “direct use” for heating and food production, plus its availability worldwide near oil or sedimentary basins – it’s time for other nations to show similar vision and courage. It’s time to bite this small but silver bullet.
To say it upfront, we’re in a position today that all nations should enable the direct use of their geothermal resources.
Steinunn Hauksdóttir, Director of Mapping and Exploration at Iceland GeoSurvey
The cons Despite its advantages, geothermal energy remains a bit player in the global energy mix, partly because it’s complicated to access. “One of the drawbacks of geothermal is that this is a resource which is almost completely underground,” says Axelsson. “It takes a lot of investment to assess capacity, so in contrast to wind or solar, it's difficult for companies or developing nations to find the investment needed to locate and quantify the resource, including the money needed to drill wells to bring it to the surface. “Then you have the political challenges because in many countries the policy-
with other governmental agencies before bringing in private sector
Iceland’s GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme, under the auspices of UNESCO, dates back to 1979. Our six-month training, designed for experts from developing countries, covers all the technical details required to explore and develop geothermal resources. We offer eight lines of specialization ranging from geothermal geology, geophysical exploration, chemistry of thermal fluids, reservoir engineering & borehole geophysics, geothermal utilization, drilling technology, environmental science (to ensure sustainable approaches), as well as project management and finances. People who graduate from the training can then apply for a Master's or PhD scholarship at the University of Iceland or Reykjavik University.
financing. Then it’s important to ensure a legacy of capacity building, so that after each project there are people who can take over locally and pass on the complex expertise to the next generation or indeed to other developing countries. In a way, we’re creating competitors with our projects abroad and training courses at home. But we know that it’s for the greater global good. “The worldwide energy situation is now similar to the oil crisis of the 1970s
FACTFILE: THE OPEC FUND AND GEOTHERMAL ENERGY
The OPEC Fund’s most recent investment in geothermal energy was completed in 2019 in Djibouti, at the top of the Great Rift Valley. Lewnis Boudaoui, Senior Country Manager, Eastern & Southern Africa, OPEC Fund, explains: “This project aims at helping Djibouti secure a sustainable and competitive source of energy by drilling four wells to a depth of around 2.5 km, to be used to help generate geothermal energy. The wells are located in the Assal Rift, around 80km northwest of Djibouti City. The project should enable Djibouti to access a secure and sustainable source of energy and reduce its dependence on electricity imports from Ethiopia, which is only possible when the country has excess to sell.”
Málfríður Ómarsdóttir, Project Manager, GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme
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