From Ambassador (The direct utilization of geothermal energy - View from the Embassy)

2023/7/3
Reykjavik
The structure in the picture is located very close to the Embassy of Japan, where we work. It has a chimney-like pipe sticking out from the top and, depending on the hour of the day, hot steam is blowing out of the pipe.
 
There are a number of similar structures in the area around the embassy.
 
Underneath this rather oddly shaped structure, hydrothermal wells have actually been drilled to a depth of 2,000 metres below the ground. The hot water that blows out of the wells is supplied to various parts of Reykjavik.
 
While the utilisation of geothermal energy tends to focus on geothermal power generation in Japan, where electricity is scarce, the main part of geothermal utilisation in Iceland is the supply of hot water for heating purposes.
 
Geothermal development in Iceland was originally initiated during the First World War, when the price of coal rose sharply. It seems that the main objective was to keep down the cost of heating for domestic use, hospitals and other buildings.
 
Obviously, there is a limit to the amount of hot water that can be used sustainably from these small wells, and currently, a large amount of hot water transported by pipeline from the Hellisheiði Geothermal Power Plant meets most of Reykjavik's increasing hot water demand.
 
However, it would be more efficient if there were a number of such intake wells in the city, so that hot water did not have to be transported from a distance via pipelines.
 
I have heard that even in the vicinity of Tokyo, if you dig a well deep underground, you can get hot water. Can't we make good use of that?
 
While it may not be possible to generate electricity, it could be of great use for cooling and heating large buildings.