Researchers Tap into Hot Magma below Iceland for Energy

Iceland's Volcanic Activity

Using a $3.5 million grant form the National Science Foundation, and another $1.5 million from the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program, researchers have been drilling deep into the ground in Iceland with hopes of taking advantage of the vast amounts of thermal energy stored under the volcanic island-country.

Led by geologists from the University of California, Riverside, the team began drilling in the spring of 2009. Initially the drilling went smoothly until a little over a mile deep. Several drilling problems were encountered between 6600 and 6900 feet. At 6900 feet, the team realized that magma had begun to fill into the hole from below.

“When the well was tested, high pressure dry steam flowed to the surface with a temperature of 400 degrees Celsius or 750 degrees Fahrenheit, coming from a depth shallower than the magma,” said Wilfred Elders, who leads the team.

Elders’ team estimates that steam at such temperatures could be used to generate 25 megawatts of electricity if passed through a suitable turbine. This is enough electricity to power 25,000 to 30,000 homes.

At the present time, about a third of the electric power and 95 percent of home heating in Iceland is produced from steam and hot water that occurs naturally in volcanic rocks.