The first consumer ethanol pump in Iceland was turned on recently. I assume that the ethanol is imported but would burn cleaner than gasoline. They also pump methane that is produced locally at the city garbage dump. For years they have been powering the garbage trucks from that methane and now pipe the excess back to the city to power the taxi fleet and a few cars. As the garbage dump gets bigger and the population grows the supply keeps pace. A new story making the rounds today is about the phasing out of fossils fuels.
I’ve said is before and will say it again, how is it that this wee nation keeps coming up with these ideas? Remember that Island has not a drop of fossil fuel resources but like everywhere they have domestic garbage that can produce enough methane to pay for itself. Ethanol, methane, and hydrogen aren’t the magic bullets but is just one piece of the puzzle along with many other ideas and solutions. Ultimately we must change our driving habits.
Tags: Clean Energy, Iceland, Thoughts
