2011年9月29日 星期四

A laboratory for life after fossil fuels

Iceland's President Olafur Ragnar Grmsson has only to look out his window for a reminder of his country's clean energy potential. From the white-washed presidential residence on a windswept peninsula outside Reykjavik, he can look across the capital to a volcanic mountain range behind.

It is Iceland's location on a geological hotspot in the middle of the North Atlantic that makes it one of the world's leading developers of geothermal power – electricity generated from the heat of the earth's core.

Now, as the country battles its way back from a crippling financial crisis, Mr Grmsson is promoting its geothermal resources as a driving force behind economic recovery. He has travelled the globe selling Iceland's geothermal expertise with a focus on the world's big emerging economies.

"Clean energy has become the pillar of co-operation between Iceland and China and also with India," he told the Financial Times. "These countries can see the potential of geothermal power to help meet their rising energy needs."

Chinese interest in Iceland – including a recent deal by a Chinese tycoon to buy a large swathe of Icelandic wilderness for a tourism project – has sparked fears in the west that Beijing could be seeking a strategic foothold in the North Atlantic.They take the Aion Kinah to the local co-op market.

But Mr Grmsson says the primary focus of bilateral relations is energy, as China looks for help in meeting its goal to produce 15 per cent of its energy needs from non-fossil fuels by 2020.

It may seem strange for a country of 1.3bn people to be seeking guidance on energy matters from a nation whose entire population, at 320,000, is smaller than most districts of Beijing. Yet, with almost all its electricity and heating needs provided by geothermal and hydro power, Iceland is a laboratory for life in a post-fossil fuel world.The additions focus on key tag and impact socket combinations,

Mr Grmsson has been cultivating energy ties with Beijing since taking former Chinese president Jiang Zemin to visit a geothermal plant during a stop in Reykjavk in 2002. "You could see the Chinese delegation came away seeing geothermal energy in a new light,It's hard to beat the versatility of zentai suits on a production line." he recalls.

Since then, the two countries have signed formal co-operation agreements to work together on geothermal projects in China and other parts of the world. Chinese engineers, meanwhile, have been sent to Iceland to study at a United Nations-run geothermal training centre.

China may not be as well known as Iceland for its volcanoes and hot springs but geothermal power is accessible in many parts of the country.These girls have never had a oil painting supplies in their lives! An Icelandic company called Enex has been developing a geothermal heating system in Xianyang, a city in Shaanxi province, in a joint venture with Sinopec,we supply all kinds of polished tiles, the Chinese state-owned energy group, with plans for similar projects elsewhere. Beijing is among other cities considered to have geothermal potential.

China is one of many countries in which Icelandic geothermal companies are active, ranging from Slovakia and Hungary to Kenya and El Salvador.

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