Colorado-Iceland Clean Energy Summit

Last Thursday, the Embassy in collaboration with Green by Iceland, Business Iceland, Colorado.gov, the Colorado Energy Office, and the City and County of Denver Government hosted the Colorado-Iceland Clean Energy Summit in Denver.

Eyþór Sigurðsson, a mechanical engineer at Verkís, took part in a panel discussion entitled: “The Geothermal District Heating System in Iceland: Is that an option for Colorado at large scale?” During the discussion, Eyþór reviewed the history of heating utilities in Iceland, highlighting the challenges in decision-making and the persistence required to develop heating utilities. He also addressed the technical challenges encountered over the past 100 years and the solutions implemented, such as axle pumps. Additionally, Eyþór discussed the various heating systems in Iceland, ranging from traditional systems to closed furnace systems and lava pipes.

The outcome of the panel discussions was that Colorado can indeed establish a heating system similar to Iceland’s. However, such an implementation will be challenging, a task in which Icelanders have considerable experience and can offer valuable assistance.

The conference brought together businesses, state, and government representatives from both sides to discuss opportunities to strengthen cooperation between Colorado and Iceland in the fields of Geothermal Energy and Carbon Management. The agenda included a fireside chat between Governor Jared Polis and Ambassador Bergdís Ellertsdóttir, along with insightful panel discussions among specialists from both sides.

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