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DIRECT USES
 
Total thermal installed capacity in MWt:
1,826.0
Direct use in TJ/year
24,361.0
Direct use in GWh/year
6,767.5
Capacity factor
0.42

Due to its location the country has very favorable conditions for geothermal development. The geothermal resources are utilized for both electricity generation and direct heat applications. It provides 62% of the nation’s primary energy supply, with space heating the most important direct-use, providing 89% of all space heating in the country.
The largest geothermal district heating system is in Reykjavik where 197,404 people are served with an installed capacity of 1,264 MWt and peak load of 924 MWt.
Two other large district heating systems are located on the Reykjanes peninsula which serves about 20,000 people and the Akureyri system in northern Iceland serving about 23,000 people.

There are 135 swimming pools in the country that use geothermal heat, generally open throughout the year.
Snow melting has been recently increased to where 820,000 m2 are heated throughout the country, with most in Reykjavik. Most of the heat energy comes from the return water from space heating systems.

Industrial uses include the seaweed drying plant at Thorverk; carbon dioxide production at Haedarendi; and fish drying by 18 small companies, producing about 15,000 tonnes of dried cod heads for export. The diatomaceous earth drying plant at Kisilidjan has been closed. Other industrial applications using geothermal heat are salt production, drying of imported hardwood, retreading of car tires, wood washing, curing of cement blocks, and steam baking of bread at several locations.
After space heating, heating of greenhouses is the oldest and most important uses of geothermal energy. Crops produce include vegetables (55%) and flowers (45%), with an estimated 17.5 ha in operation at present. Fish farming has increased to around 10,000 tonnes in 40 plants by 2006, with salmon the main specie; however, arctic char and cod production are increasing rapidly.

Geothermal energy installed capacity and annual use are:

1,380 MWt and 17,483 TJ/yr for district heating;
40 MWt and 677 TJ/yr for greenhouse heating;
67 MWt and 1,835 TJ/yr for fish farming;
65 MWt and 1,642 TJ/yr for industrial process heat;
200 MWt and 1,448 TJ/yr for snow melting;
70 MWt and 1,256 TJ/yr for bathing and swimming;
4 MWt and 20 TJ/yr for geothermal heat pumps (2 large units in Akureyri);

for a total of 1,826 MWt and 24,361 TJ/yr (Ragnarsson, 2010).

Taken from the paper by John W. Lund, Derek H. Freeston, and Tonya L. Boyd: "Direct Utilization of Geothermal Energy 2010 Worldwide Review"; published in Proceedings of the World Geothermal Congress 2010, Bali, Indonesia, 25-29 April 2010