Tapping the heat directly from a magma chamber would be the ultimate geothermal energy solution – research in Iceland is showing positive signs.
You can see the black stain of lava from previous eruptions; rocks steam with the heat and there are places where lava bubbles its way to the surface. The striking blue geothermal lake at Krafla (pronounced ‘Krapla’) is even named Viti or ‘hell’ in Icelandic, and it’s a site that sits firmly on the country’s tourist trail.
The volcanoes along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge created Iceland over millions of years, and today they rumble on – it’s one of the most volcanically active places in the world, although the Krafla caldera is enjoying a relatively tranquil period, for now.
By next year, however, this remote site in north-east Iceland will host one of the world’s most audacious experiments, as engineers attempt to drill towards magma reaching extreme pressures and temperatures close to 1,000°C.
Previous attempts to harness the geothermal energy here...