More than 80 percent of Icelanders support the construction of wind turbines for energy production, as indicated in a recent survey carried out by Capacent Gallup on behalf of Landsvirkjun, the national power company.
Almost 7 percent of respondents were against the construction of wind turbines and 12 percent were undecided, ruv.is reports.
CEO of Landsvirkjun Hörður Arnarson said he is very pleased with the public’s attitude towards wind power. However, no decision has been made on constructing further wind turbines in addition to the two experimental turbines that were erected at Búrfell in December 2012, he added.
“We decided [on Wednesday] to launch collaboration with two Icelandic engineering firms. They are to gather information and assist us in the making of environmental impact assessments and the basic design of a larger wind farm … at Búrfell,” Hörður revealed.
If the development of a wind farm in Iceland proves successful, wind power can become the third pillar of Icelandic energy production alongside hydropower and geothermal, Hörður reasoned.
Since the two experimental wind turbines were started in February 2013, they have produced a total of 3,150 MW hours of electricity, which could provide 1,500 homes with daily electricity consumption for one year.
Iceland Power Company Erects First Wind Turbines
Landsvirkjun, the national power company, will put up two turbines from the German company Enercon for experimental purposes by the hydropower plant Búrfellsvirkjun in South Iceland in the coming weeks.
CEO of Landsvirkjun Hörður Arnarson told ruv.is that so far, harnessing wind power has not proven cost efficient but that may be about to change.
The wind turbines will be 55-meters high, and in combination with the 22-meter long blades, they will be of a similar height to Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík.
Each windmill costs approximately EUR 1 million (ISK 163 million, USD 1.3 million) and has the capacity to produce 900 KW of energy at a wind speed of 15 meters per second or more. They are said to be able to withstand wind speed of up to 70 meters per second.
“It’s too expensive according to the current electricity prices but we hope that after a few years developments will ensure that the prices and cost will accommodate each other,” stated Hörður.