Study Tour

Picture taken around Midnight in the mountains above Berunes, East Iceland

Now that the first trimester was finally over, it was time to kick back and relax for a few days. During our classes, we learned about cutting edge technologies, such as solar PV cells that can see 40% or greater efficiency, advanced hydrogen storage and fuel cell technologies, advanced Kalina cycle geothermal turbines, and 120 meter tall wind turbines. The purpose of the study tour is to ground what we learned in reality, so we can see what is the current state of the technologies that we learned about. While the study tour is not supposed to be as rigorous as regular classes, there is still a lot that can be learned from our visits. However, we did find the time to enjoy ourselves on our break between trimesters.
The trip was split into 5 days, and we drove around the Ring road. Our first stop was an aluminum smelter along Reydarfjordur (above), which was operated by Alcoa. Aluminum production is a very energy intensive process, so the smelter was placed in Iceland in part due to its abundant (and sustainable) natural resources.


The facility, pictured above, requires a constant source of electricity greater than 600 MW, enough power for more than half a million people! The white alumina powder is shipped in from South America, processed, and the finished Aluminum ingots are shipped to their final destinations throughout the world.

In order to power the smelter, a hydropower facility was constructed called Kárahnjúkar. The dam is controversial among some Icelanders since the dam's reservoir flooded much of a wilderness area that some in the country cherish as one of the largest unspoiled wilderness in Europe. The reindeer, above, are some of the animals that are affected by the project.
The rationale for building the smelter and associated power in plant in Iceland takes more of a global perspective. Alternate sites for the smelter would likely be in less developed countries, and the power would be generated by fossil fuels, such as cheap coal in China. By siting the project in Iceland, overall global emissions from the aluminum production would be far less than if the same product were made in other countries.

While driving across the south coast of Iceland, the class stopped at many natural wonders, such as Vatnajokull, Europe's largest glacier, Skaftafell National Park, and a few other waterfalls from glacier runoff.

Vatnajokull, in the background, deposits icebergs into the Glacial LagoonOur accommodations for a night in cabins at þakgil, between Vik and Myrdalsjokull Glacier. Most agreed that this was the coolest place to stay in Iceland.

Skogarfoss Waterfall

Outside of Reykjavik, the group visited a few geothermal facilities, such as the Hellisheidi combined cycle power plant, the Svartsengi plant, as well as two geothermal well sites. These facilities, along with a few other plants in the area, supply the capital region with almost all of its electricity, hot water, and district heating needs.

Hellisheidi geothermal power plant, outside of Reykjavik

In addition to power and hot water, the Svartsengi plant also has its own hot water well just for the Blue Lagoon spa and thermal bath, one of Iceland's most popular attractions.

One added bonus to the trip was a surprise visit to the Presidential compound, called Bessastaðir. The president, Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, said a few words about the work that we were doing and allowed a few questions from our group. Afterward, we were allowed to tour the compound, which sits on ancient ruins dating back hundreds of years.

What was mentioned here were some of the things that we did during the week long study tour. Many other site visits, such as the Icelandic Innovation Center, the Sorpa landfill biogas recovery, the hydrogen fueling station, and others were not described here, but were certainly educational as well! By the end of the week, we had a few days to ourselves to rest and enjoy the city of Reykjavik and its infamous nightlife. Some took side trips to the Golden Circle, others went to museums, churches, or markets throughout the city. After the brief break, it was then time to head back to Akureyri for the start of classes once again.

The Rest of May...

So yes, we sort of gave up on the blog for a little while. But, never fear, as we intend to finish it off now! We'll start with the rest of May:

The rest of our class time was spent wrapping up our final courses of the first trimester, namely solar power and wind & wave power. These are tremendous resources, and it was especially interesting to consider the challenges and opportunities inherent in their utilization.

With the end of those courses, we then had one week to prepare for our final exams for the first trimester. People seemed to spend their time doing one of the following: studying hard, procrastinating studying hard, or goofing off in general. Some of the studying became pretty intense when going over a few months worth of material, and it was nice to work in groups and enjoy some of the amazing summer weather during the "short" breaks.


I spent the first few days studying like a mad man and the rest of the week with some family visiting from Colorado. Highlights of that time included a trip to the island of Grimsey to cross the arctic circle and do some puffin spotting



as well as a bit of whale watching in Husavik.

The inevitable finally arrived, and we had a solid week of finals. Up to three exams per day for a 4 days straight definitely prepared us for hard earned study tour around Iceland.