Stokke, Unge Venstre | Geothermal energy – the perfect energy for Norway?
Debate post This is a debate post, written by an external contributor. The post expresses the writer’s attitudes.
On the one hand, new Russian aggression has led to the desire for independence from Russian energy. We also need more energy because a large proportion of people in the world are on their way out of extreme poverty and need access to cheap energy. At the same time, the world is getting a higher energy demand due to ever faster technological advances.
On the other hand, the world is getting warmer, and the danger signs have never been clearer that drastic steps need to be taken to combat the potentially catastrophic consequences of global warming.
So is there a way to create cheap and reliable energy that is also renewable and environmentally friendly?
Yes, and fortunately Norway is in a unique position to best take advantage of an extremely promising energy source.
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Ground heat
Geothermal heat energy is created by drilling for ground heat to boil a liquid that then drives a turbine that generates electricity.
To access this heat, it must be drilled into the ground. Norway is the world’s leading expert in well drilling. And her opportunity ours. Instead of dismantling the oil industry, we can start drilling for heat instead of oil.
If we use the infrastructure for the oil industry, the labor force, the technology and the expertise Norway has in well drilling, we can start a new energy industry on the back of our old one.
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We will be able to save incredible costs. At the same time we are creating a new source of income for Norway. This is the way we can combine environmentally friendly choices and good financial choices.
Iceland has now been a world leader in geothermal energy for several years, which now accounts for as much as 66 percent of all energy Iceland uses. Iceland is lucky when it comes to geothermal heat energy. Since there is a lot of volcanic activity in Iceland, this means that the geothermal energy is close to the surface and is very easy to take advantage of. Norway does not have as easy access to geothermal heat, but we have experience and the industry to drill for it.
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Norway’s responsibility
Due to the obvious catastrophic consequences of continuing to create our energy with fossil fuels, we must look to other alternative energy sources to take global warming.
Norway, an energy exporter that has grown rich in oil sales, has a specific responsibility to the world to make good choices for future generations. Research and development of geothermal energy must therefore be given priority. Since Norway has a national oil industry, we have the opportunity to make this choice and implement it quickly.
Since we first discovered oil in the North Sea in 1969, oil has been Norway’s main source of income. After Statoil was established, Norway’s politicians made a very wise and admirable choice by saving most of the oil revenues for future generations of Norwegians through the Petroleum Fund. A long-term choice is always admirable in politics.
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No need to start from scratch
Now it’s our turn to make a long – term choice, to think about what will be best for the next generations. So let’s choose the most efficient, profitable and ethical way Norway can switch to renewable energy. Namely by putting an already existing industry that is now focused on oil drilling, to an industry that drills for ground heat.
In this way, we will not have to start a new energy sector, we will be able to save many jobs that are in the oil sector, and we will be able to build on our already existing expertise in well drilling.
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Norway has been very lucky with the discovery of oil, now we again have the opportunity to potentially capitalize on our advanced oil technology by using it to start the next energy chapter in Norway’s history. If we want to make both environmentally friendly choices and wise economic choices, geothermal energy seems like a fantastic alternative.