Editing Geothermal power in Iceland (section)

== History ==

=== Geothermal energy in Iceland ===
[[File:Laugardalslaug.JPG|alt=A photo of the Laugardalslaug pool and bath complex in Reykjavík|thumb|A geothermally heated swimming pool complex in Iceland]]
Geothermal energy has been employed by Icelanders since the [[Viking Age]], with initial uses including washing and bathing.<ref name=":02" /> Later, it began to be used to heat homes, greenhouses, and swimming pools, as well as to keep streets and sidewalks free of snow and ice.<ref name=":02" /> Today, at least 90% of all homes in Iceland are heated with geothermal energy.<ref name=":02" />

The [[Blue Lagoon (geothermal spa)|Blue Lagoon]] is a prominent example of a geothermal bath.<ref name=":02" /> With a mix of seawater and discharge freshwater from the nearby [[Svartsengi Power Station]], the Blue Lagoon is 5,000 square meters in size and is Iceland's most popular tourist attraction.<ref name=":02" />

While geothermal energy has had many uses in Iceland throughout history, its use there for electricity generation did not come until relatively recently.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Logadóttir |first=Halla Hrund |date=December 2015 |title=Iceland's Sustainable Energy Story: A Model for the World? |url=https://www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/icelands-sustainable-energy-story-model-world |access-date=2022-10-29 |website=United Nations |language=en}}</ref> Iceland's power was largely derived from [[Fossil fuel|fossil fuels]] until the 1970s, when the national government looked to address energy price inequities across the country.<ref name=":22" /><ref name=":1" /> A report commissioned in 1970 by the country's National Energy Authority, Orkustofnun, recommended increased domestic production of geothermal power and [[hydroelectricity]] to stabilize energy prices and reduce the nation's reliance on external energy resources.<ref name=":22" /> In 1973, an international [[1970s energy crisis|energy crisis]] began, subjecting Iceland to highly volatile oil prices and an uncertain energy market.<ref name=":1" /> The crisis sparked Iceland's government to ramp up adoption of the domestic power sources identified by the National Energy Authority's report.<ref name=":22" /> The ensuing rapid growth of renewable energy production mostly originated from a geopolitical desire for energy independence and was catalyzed by the urgent economic constraints during the 1970s energy crisis.<ref name=":22" /> Since then, in addition to increasing Iceland's energy independence, it has also resulted in the widespread decarbonization of the country's electric grid.<ref name=":22" />

=== Government policy ===
{{Further|Energy in Iceland}}
[[File:Pipeline_from_Nesjavellir_Geothermal_Power_Plant_to_Reykjavik_-_panoramio.jpg|left|thumb|380x380px|A pipeline from the Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant to Reykjavik]]
Iceland's government policies strongly encourage the usage of renewable energy resources in power production. These policies stem from energy issues that the country had faced in years past; in the 1970s, for example, Iceland's government responded to increasing oil prices by replacing oil with geothermal energy in [[district heating]].<ref name=":102" /> As a result, the cost of heating was decreased significantly, and compared to most other countries, was much lower.

As progress continued on geothermal energy projects and investments, the National Energy Authority laid out their master plan to implement the use of geothermal energy in two phases.<ref name=":16">{{Cite web |title=Master Plan |url=https://nea.is/geothermal/master-plan/ |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=National Energy Authority of Iceland |language=en}}</ref> The first phase was conducted during 1999–2003, which primarily focused on data gathering.<ref name=":16" /> The second phase was conducted during 2004–2009, where the first half of those years was spent on further research and the second half spent on evaluating geothermal fields.<ref name=":16" /> A total of 24 potential geothermal projects were considered under the master plan.<ref name=":16" /> Today, many of these projects are still under consideration by the [[Althing|Icelandic Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Master Plan today |url=https://www.ramma.is/english/the-master-plan-today/ |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=Rammaáætlun |language=is}}</ref>

The government still faces issues with providing all households with accessibility to geothermal power, as there remain villages and rural areas that lack geothermal heating infrastructure.<ref name=":102" /> To combat this issue, Iceland's government is continuously engaging in exploration activities for the villages and rural areas to explore possible locations for geothermal energy infrastructure. In 2019, the construction of a 20-km hot water transmission pipeline from a geothermal field to the town of [[Höfn]] was constructed to replace electricity as their source of heating for 1,800 people.<ref name=":102" />

Iceland's government has also put effort into foreign policies and investments that encourage other nations to harness renewable energy such as geothermal power. One of Iceland's foreign efforts is the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility Project, which began in 2010, and is performed in partnership with the [[United Nations Environment Programme]] (UNEP) in countries such as [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]] and [[Rwanda]].<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=2020-06-24 |title=Iceland, a world leader in clean energy, supports Africa's push for geothermal power |url=https://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/story/iceland-world-leader-clean-energy-supports-africas-push-geothermal-power |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=UNEP |language=en}}</ref> Iceland has also helped train geothermal engineers from around the world through the United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme.<ref name=":11" />