Making Hydrogen Available to the Public.
Valgerður Sverrisdóttir
Minister of Industry and Commerce
Minister}s Addess at the Conference
"Making Hydrogen Available to the Public"
April 24, 2003
"Making Hydrogen Available to the Public"
April 24, 2003
Mr. Chairman,
Ladies and gentlemen
It is an honor and a pleasure for me to address you here to day at the opening of the conference "Making Hydrogen Available to the Public". The occasion of this conference is of course the opening of the first hydrogen refuelling station here in Reykjavík earlier to day. The opening of the hydrogen station is a major step in bringing hydrogen closer to the public, as it is the first hydrogen station built at a conventional petrol station in the world.
It gives me great pleasure that this event took place here in our country. The hydrogen in the station is produced on-site from water by electrolysis, using electricity generated by geothermal and hydroelectric resources. These clean resources generate all the electricity here in Iceland and account for all house heating, which means that about 72% of our total gross energy use is derived from these resources. Actually, we have been quite successful in utilizing our energy resources over the past few decades in foreign industrial investments and have entered into contracts on continued investment in the energy sector in the coming decade. Nevertheless, we still have an abundance of geothermal and hydroelectric energy resources to meet the future demand for hydrogen fuel production in due course. The use of hydrogen as a fuel will probably increase gradually in the coming decades, which will make it easier for us to meet this energy demand by using our clean energy resources.
Our long-term vision here in Iceland is that hydrogen fuel will replace the fossil fuel currently used for our fishery fleet and the transport sector as soon as it becomes technically possible and economically feasible. The Government's policy is to promote the increased use of our renewable resources, and for this reason the production and use of hydrogen is in line with our policy for the near future and we fully support the ECTOS hydrogen project here in Iceland.
I am convinced that this conference will reveal to us different aspects of the ongoing progress of hydrogen development, as well as the various possibilities of this revolution in energy use. We here in Iceland have all the opportunities we need to realise our plans for hydrogen development by using our renewable energy resources. A nation living with an abundance of untapped clean energy resources can only be optimistic for the future.
Mr Chairman
The step we have taken to day is of course a very small one in the development of hydrogen as an alternative to fossil fuel, but we should bear in mind that even the smallest steps may later be recognised as historic progress.
All of us here look forward to the coming hydrogen development, bearing in mind that it will contribute to a cleaner and better world for our children in the future.
Therefore, it is a great pleasure for me to declare this conference formally open.
Thank you for your attention.