Thursday, November 29, 2018

Iceland: Geothermal Energy Helps Boost Year-Round Availability of Fresh Food

Iceland harnesses hot springs to power year-round farming (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

 (Courtesy Thomson Reuters Foundation)
Geothermal energy, which makes up a quarter of Iceland's electricity, has helped boost the year-round availability of fresh food

Iceland's volcanic origins have blessed the island of 350,000 inhabitants with abundant geothermal energy - a renewable resource that, unlike solar or wind power, is unaffected by its unpredictable weather.

Geothermal energy makes up a quarter of Iceland's electricity - all of which comes from renewable sources - and has helped boost the year-round availability of fresh food in the past two decades.

The naturally hot water is piped in to heat the greenhouses and the hot springs are also a key source power for the artificial lights that help farmers grow their crops even in winter, when the island sees barely three hours of sunlight.