POWER
Summary
Power plants are important to local communities, and often serve as the backbone of a regional economy, with homes and businesses relying on the electricity a facility produces.
In Iceland, the country’s geothermal power plants are supporting a national economy, bringing innovation to power production and spawning development of new industries. A prime example is Svartsengi (Figure 1), a geothermal plant that first came online more than 40 years ago and continues to evolve. It provides electricity and hot water, serving as the heating system for the residents of the Reykjanes Peninsula. The Resource Park at Svartsengi includes several companies that use the power station’s resources, including the world-famous Blue Lagoon spa, along with cosmetics manufacturers, biotechnology companies, and aquaculture businesses.
Yngvi Guðmundsson, chief engineer at Svartsengi, said the plant was built in six phases.“The fifth phase was a direct expansion of the geothermal reservoir with new wells and a way to meet future demands for hot water as the surrounding communities were growing fast,” said Guðmundsson. “The turbine installed in the fifth phase is a combined heat and power unit, where cooling of the unit serves as pre-heating of water for hot water production.
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