The World’s First Oil-Free Economy! (Iceland)

www.thetrumpet.com ^ | 05-01-2008 | By Robert Morley

[NVDave]

Yes, it is on the south side of the Truckee Meadows. Used to live near it. Take “Old 395” south from the intersection of NV-341/NV-431/US-395 towards Carson City. On the right hand side, you’ll see the geothermal plant up on the hill.

It is pulling the heat off “Steamboat Springs.”

Across 395 (ie, east of 395) there is a hot spring resort using the geothermal water as it comes out of cooling ponds.

As you indicate, the direct use of the geothermal water is possible for only “mineral hot springs” - for anything like a turbine system, it would deposit so much mineral stuff so quickly that the turbine would be ruined in a very short time.

There’s another geothermal power plant in Beowawe, at the north end of Eureka County, and another one near Rye Patch, along I-80, east of Lovelock.

[Uncledave]

You're absolutely right, via natural causes. Now you intend to super saturate it via artificial means - burning hydrogen. Rain you say? Quite likely and a hell of a lot of it

The amount of extra water vapor put in the atmosphere if every vehicle were driven by fuel cells is infintesimally small compared to natural evaporations from the ocean. I wouldn't lose sleep over it.

And we can't "super saturate" the atmosphere.

[Hot Tabasco]

And we can't "super saturate" the atmosphere.

You may be right but we don't know for sure what effects a completely hydrogen fueled economy will have on the environment do we?

For now, I'll stick with oil, coal and gas thank you. Drill here and drill now!

[SeaWolf]

Iceland is not an oil free country, far from it. I spent a couple of good years there and while they have made excellent use of geothermal power and it has served them well, they are not free of oil. It is everywhere, they just don't have to heat their homes nor produce their electricity with it, the fishing fleet, the tractors, the vehicles still use it, it lubricates the geothermal machinery, and it keeps the weather at bay.