Geothermal Heating in Iceland

Iceland, which lies on the mid-Atlantic Ridge, was formed by the drifting apart of the American and Eurasian tectonic plates. 

Due to the newness of the land itself (approximately 16-20 million years), the crust of the Earth is thin, which accounts for the huge number of hot springs around the country. Iceland is located on what geologists call a "hot spot," and the geothermal resources are used for heating, and also harnessed to generate electricity.

While Icelanders have long used natural hot water for bathing and washing their clothes, it was only in the 20th century that technology made it possible to provide geothermal heating by drilling down to underground hot-water sources.

Geothermal heating of houses began around 1930, and today all of Reykjavik is heated by the Reykjavík Energy district heating system. Throughout Iceland, about 90% of the population now enjoy geothermal heating (not all parts of the country have utilisable hot water resources).