CELL Field Trip: Hydro Power, Gulfoss waterfall, and Geiser hot spring

On Tuesday, November 13th we visited the Burfell Hydro Power station located at the head of Thjorsardalur Valley in south Iceland. Over 70% of Iceland’s electricity is generated from hydro and geothermal power – both of which are renewable and carbon-free. This small island nation leads the world in the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources. As Iceland produces far more electricity than it needs, it exports its excess power by importing electricity intensive businesses, such as aluminum smelters. Bringing the aluminum industry to Iceland, however, has been quite controversial. Iceland is currently trying to attract “server farms” (high tech data bases like Yahoo and Microsoft) - businesses that require large amounts of electricity, but don’t adversely impact the environment. This innovative thinking will diversify Iceland’s economy, while attracting more environmentally friendly businesses.

After visiting the hydro power plant, we visited Geiser – the original geothermal hot spring from which the name “geiser” originated. Later, we visited the impressive Gulfoss waterfall – perhaps the most photographed waterfall in Iceland. Below are several student descriptions of our field trip.

Dave S: The trip to the Burfell hydropower station was one that I had been looking forward to the whole semester. There’s a great deal of controversy over hydropower in the United States. Is it truly a “green” source of power? Surely, it’s renewable, but what of the damage it can cause to ecosystems? The interesting thing about Iceland is that it doesn’t have nearly as many ecosystems to damage as the US. There
is also controversy in Iceland over making reservoirs out of once free-flowing rivers. Our speaker from Burfell told us that the largest reservoir that had been built was only flooding a lava field with minimal vegetation and almost zero life... All this talk of hydropower’s impact made for an interesting discovery in my mind: there really is no truly impact-free source of power. The problem with fossil fuels is obvious. Solar power generally uses mined silicon… Picking an energy source is really just picking (the lesser of several evils). Certainly, there are better options than others. Is this just a necessary risk involved with us getting the energy we need to afford the lifestyles we live? Does our growing need for energy justify the destruction of ecosystems? I don’t know the answer to these questions. All I know is that even if these “green” options aren’t ideal, they are miles beyond reliance on dirty fossil fuels, which not only come with environmental costs of mining, but also have that whole nasty “greenhouse gas” business to come along with them. In the meantime,
while I ponder these questions and wonder if there is another way, I will continue
to push for the phasing out of fossil fuels to switch to technologies like wind, solar, and hydro. They may not be perfect, but they’re the best we’ve got.

Ian: We began our last field trip with a visit to the local Búrfell Hydropower station. This station is owned and operated by the Icelandic power giant Landvirkjun. We were met by the head of public relations and received a thorough lecture on the hydro power industry in Iceland. Throughout this lecture I fluctuated back and forth between the logistical and moral vision of the power company. Iceland already produces far more energy than they need to power their society. They are able to export power by importing foreign business investments (international aluminum smelting businesses that are attracted to Iceland because of their cheap, "green" power) . Eighty percent of all the energy produced in Iceland is sold to energy intensive industry. I was very concerned with the rate of expansion of the power facilities. They currently have 7 hydro stations along Iceland's largest river with another 3 in the works. Also the new power station in the North provides a whopping 700 mega watts dedicated to aluminum smelters. There is also talk of many more geothermal stations being constructed. I am afraid Iceland has caught the bug of capitalistic expansion, and the effects have the potential to be severely detrimental to their environment. We have learned how sensitive Iceland's natural environment is and susceptible to human impacts… Landvirkjun is also making some very impressive environmental decisions. They have made the commitment, for example, that (they will not sell any additional power to aluminum smelters.) They are also pursuing a vision to sell power to “server farms.” I found this idea to be a perfect example of transcending industry into the future. Server farms allow Iceland to continue economic growth through their export of power while moving away from carbon intensive industry such as aluminum smelting.

Kelly: I’ve always thought of hydropower as an all-encompassing “bad” way (environmentally) to harness energy. This thinking changed during our field trip to the Búrfell Hydropower Station. Our presenter, while he was one-sided (pro hydropower), gave us an excellent overview of not only hydropower in Iceland, but also the many issues surrounding hydropower development in Iceland. No matter what we do as humans, we will always have an impact on this earth. No matter how we harvest our energy, we will always have an impact. The question then becomes, what kind of impact do we want to have? And, how can we minimize our impact? It seems that within the expansion of the hydropower stations along the river of the Búrfell hydropower station, Landsvirkjun is considering these questions. But the next question I come to is, why are we expanding our power generation? Iceland is already surpassing the energy needs for the people of the country, but with such a vast supply of available power, it seems the power companies cannot stop there. It’s easy to criticize Landsvirkjun for agreeing to build enormous power stations solely for the energy needs of polluting industries, but our presenter gave a different view. He argued that since Iceland has such large resources of “green” energy, it is their responsibility to offer that energy to energy-intensive industries that would otherwise be utilizing more polluting energy (such as coal power stations elsewhere). This is an interesting way to approach this issue. But I wonder if the amount of knowledge and man-power that goes into creating massive power plants were put into creating more effective recycling systems, would we need more aluminum smelters at all? It’s important to look past the energy-issue and consider why we are demanding more energy and ask what can change there… Energy will never be a simple black and white issue. As long as we demand energy we need to be aware that its production will happen in someone’s backyard. No energy will be entirely impact free, but we can attempt to come closer and closer while also analyzing why we are demanding more energy.

CELL Westman Island Trip

On Monday, October 29th, we flew out to the Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands) arechipelago for a two-day field trip to learn about the history and geology of these rugged and beautiful islands off the south coast of Iceland. Heimaey, the only inhabited island, has been a main fishing center since Iceland was first settled. Approximately 15% of the entire fish quota in Iceland is caught from trawlers that call the Westmans home. In l973, Heimaey made international news when a volcanic eruption led to the evacuation of the town. Approximately, 500 houses and buildings were buried in lava 30 meters thick. The rest of the town was covered in volcanic ash up to 5 meters thick. Several months after the eruption, two-thirds of the island’s residents returned to Heimaey to rebuild their town and homes.

The islands boast the largest puffin colony in the world with over 3 million birds returning to the islands to nest each summer. The lava on Eldfell, the 250 meter high volcano formed during the 1973 eruption, is still steaming one meter below the surface. The islands are spectacularly beautiful and are home to some of the most diverse bird species found anywhere in Iceland.

Below are several student descriptions of their field trip to Vestmannaeyjar.

Emily: The history behind the Islands is what interested me the most. It’s hard to believe that after surviving a volcanic eruption that wiped out a significant part of the town, people still moved back. I guess living in a place as “dangerous” as these islands and feeling comfortable here is one example of knowing your home and taking pride in where you live. To live here you’d have to truly be connected with the land and the sea. When you grow up in an area all your life, you do feel connected to the place. It becomes a part of you (and defines who you are).

Gabby: What impacted me the most during this trip? A couple of things did. The first one is the amazing beauty of this country. I’ve said it before and I’ve seen it before, but I am continually amazed by it. Almost everywhere we go, there’s amazing beauty. When wee first came to the harbor, and the sunlight was hitting the mountain on the other side of the bay, the birds flying around, I just thought: “Wow. This place is amazing.”

The second thing that impacted me was the way people pulled together and worked to save their town (when it was destroyed by the 1973 volcano). They had to make some hard choices, such as letting part of
the town be destroyed in order to save the harbor. That took courage and thinking into the future. What good are the buildings in the town without the harbor (that susatains the fishing industry)? That’s the kind of thinking we need more of. (For example,) What good are our industries without the resources that support them? What good is the economy without nature’s life support systems?

Ian: The trip to the Westman Islands was a rejuvenating experience for me. It was dreamlike as we approached by air the mysterious volcanic island surrounded by
high cliffs. Exiting the shuttle bus from the airport, the refreshing smell of the ocean wafted through my senses… this weekend provided thick fish and ocean aromas that made me feel at home. During the first night I took a jaunt into the lava field. It was an eerily calm and warm evening for this off shore island that boasted the spot with the highest winds in all of Europe. The moon radiated down and the northern lights did not disappoint, painting the sky with greens and silver. The cliffs of Heimaklettur showed off their stern presence growing out of the waters radiated in golden light from the town below. I reminisced of my summer living on the sea, as I watched a few lonely offshore fishing vessels leave the harbor setting their course for the waters of Norway or possibly Greenland.

The following morning I awoke to the realization that Poseidon had conjured up a fierce Gail. It was blowing about 40 knots and pelting frozen rain. As much as I wanted to curl up and spend the morning in bed I forced myself to rise and discover more of the majestic beauty of Heimaey. I left the hotel and started walking and climbed the volcano that had decimated this fishing village only 30 years ago. As I climbed, the wind grew in force and challenged my ability to stay upright. Unlike other occasions when one may curse such weather, on this day it
complimented the volcanic surroundings. It is always amazing to gaze from the top of a volcano and see the path of its lava. In this case, however, one had to think of all the homes that were beneath my very feet from the eruption 1973.

When it came time to leave I had mixed feelings. I wanted to run and find the nearest captain who would take me aboard... It was like saying good bye to a girl friend when you go on a trip: How long would it be till I would see my ocean again?

During the trip I had the pleasure of interviewing two very interesting islanders. Leslie and I have been trying to add an aspect to our film about Iceland’s citizen perspectives on environmental issues. Our first interview was with Simi, an ex fishing captain (and bank manager) who now makes his livelihood in tourism. One of the most astounding pieces of information I received from Simi was his first hand evidence of Global Warming. I queried him if he had seen any new species in the area over the past few years. He replied, “Why yes, three years ago we began seeing flounder,” a species non native to Icelandic waters until the recent warming of the
Atlantic. He also noted that the larger-sized cod do not come as near the island as they
once did but stay farther north in colder waters. Simi was very aware of the
possibilities of detrimental impacts to the ocean if the seas temperatures continue to rise.

We also spoke with Margo Renner. Margo was born in Wisconsin and participated in a
study abroad program on the Westman Islands when she was in High school. She fell in love with the island, returned after she graduated, got married and had a family. She had many insights into the deep connection between the islanders and their respect/connection with the natural world. She concluded that this (connection) was fostered from their remote location
and radical weather. Margo also added to our documentation a perspective of contrasting the cultures between the American Midwest and an Icelandic fishing
village. Margo saw many things that both communities could learn from each other

Justin: On another adventure, the CELL group traveled to Vestmannaeyjar, or Westman Islands in English. We had awaited this adventure for quite some time since the small five and nine passenger planes were not able to take off in the previous weeks since the weather in Iceland had been quite rainy and windy. Well, it was worth the wait. The small village on Heimaey, has a population of roughly 4,500 people. The small fishing community had this stark, feel, and aroma to it that was very welcoming, and I fell in love with the place immediately. You could really tell you were on an island; you could practically see the ocean on all sides of you. We checked into a very cozy bed and breakfast, before heading off toeat some lunch at a tiny café by the harbor. The café had a brilliant sense ofhistory, with the models of fishing boats on the walls and pictures abound. I feltalmost at home every time I stepped into the café, underneath the sign blaring“opid,” to eat. That evening was one of the most beautiful and spiritual experiences I have had inIceland. Taking a breathtaking walk along the black lava coast, with the wavescrashing on the edge, followed by the tumbling of smooth stones zooming back to seain a fury, only to be pushed back by the next wall of water. Being able to see themoon cast a brilliant light on the main island… was awe-inspiring. At that moment, I knew what really mattered. The ability to be content with yourself and rejoice in it – is priceless. The fact I am in Iceland on this adventure revolving around sustainability has honestly reinvigorated my soul. Vestmannaeyjar, I will never forget you for what you gave me these past two days. We will meet again. I promise!