District Heating in Reykjavik - 70 Years Experience

Abstract

District heating in Reykjavik began in 1930, when a 3 km pipe was build from a hot spring area in the city to a school house, the national hospital and some 60 dwelling houses. By 1970 nearly all the houses in Reykjavik were receiving hot water for heating and sales began to nearby municipalities. To day Orkuveita Reykjavikur serves about 150,000 people or 99.9 % of the population of Reykjavik and five neighbouring communities. This is about 58 % of the national population. Four low temperatue geothermal fields and one high temperature field are utilized for the district heating. The water from the low temperature fields is used directly for heating and as tap water. Due to high content of gases and minerals at the high temperature area, water and steam are used to heat frech water. Since 1998 60 MW electrical power has been generated from steam before it is used for heating. The total capacity of the district heating is about 780 MWt. The cost of the geothermal energy is low comparing to other alternatives and as geothermal replaced burning of fossile fuel for district heating in Reykjavik it has reduced the emission of greanhouse gases dramatically, decades before the international community began contemplating such actions. In Reykjavik geothermal energy has economical and environmental advantages which alternative energy sources can not compete with.