Creating a positive social and economic impact is integral to how we do business. We believe that knowledge dissemination and innovation are key factors in supporting the development of new projects connected to the renewable energy industry.
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Main projects of 2019
Landsvirkjun directly and indirectly participates in a diverse range of projects in collaboration with universities, research centres, youth associations, unions, and independent experts. We want to contribute to the many impressive and dynamic projects out there.
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Energy Research Fund
In 2019, Landsvirkjun awarded a total of 32 energy research grants for projects focused on areas such as nature and the environment and the green transformation of transport. The year’s grants amounted to ISK 58 million.
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Collaboration with Reykjavík University
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Landsvirkjun and Reykjavik University (RU) have renewed their partnership agreement to strengthen education and research in the field of renewable electricity. This includes the establishment of RU’s new sustainability institute, which will undertake independent research on the use of renewable energy sources, in collaboration with all departments within the university.
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Startup Social
Landsvirkjun sponsors Startup Social’s Icelandic business accelerator which ‘provides individuals, NGOs and companies with a platform to develop their ideas’. Eight companies were invited to participate for a period of ten weeks and were given access to expert advice. Projects included pharmaceutical production for children in Malawi, a mapping system for pickers, and an environmentally friendly burial service.
Young Entrepreneurs’ Business Incubator is an opportunity for secondary school students to establish and run their own companies and to strengthen their understanding of business management. Landsvirkjun is one of its sponsors and our employees assist students throughout the process. In 2019, nearly 600 students took part, and the Ro-box project from the Technical High School won the competition.
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EIMUR Summer School 2019
Landsvirkjun is one of the EIMUR project’s supporters. The project focuses on improving the utilisation of energy resources in Northeast Iceland as well as supporting innovation within the field. EIMUR’s Summer School was held for the second year in a row. Twenty-nine students from the Industry and Product Design Master’s program at Stuttgart Media University and Iceland Academy of the Arts took part.
Students identified new ways to utilise the region’s energy resources and subsequently presented their projects in front of a panel of judges. The MAGMA Project – Museum About Geothermal Magma Activities – received the most attention. The project focused on increased education and recreation in the Krafla area.
Landsvirkjun and Myvatn Volcano Park (MVP) signed an agreement on a pilot project in energy-related tourism. MVP intends to organize trips under the name ‘Living on a Volcano’. Guests will be given a guided tour of the Krafla and Bjarnarflag geothermal areas to inform them about the diverse uses of volcanic areas in Iceland, geothermal energy, and the paradoxical relationship between man and the volcano.
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Forum about climate issues and green solutions
The goal of the forum is to encourage Iceland to take more action on climate change and to share the country’s various solutions to the problem so far. The forum also highlights the importance of government and business uniting to find ambitious solutions to achieving targets, such as becoming carbon neutral by 2040. Landsvirkjun is one of the founding members of the forum.
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Energy resources for Borgarlina BRT network
Landsvirkjun, Straeto bus service, the Association of municipalities in the Capital area, and the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration carried out a collaborative analysis of the most suitable energy resources for a new transport system in the Capital area. The analysis included energy and financial costs, station locations, operational security, greenhouse gas emissions, air and noise pollution, and organisational considerations.
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Allocation of the community fund
Ten million ISK was awarded from Landsvirkjun’s Community Fund to projects around the country in 2019. The projects are diverse but share the common goal of positively impacting Icelandic society. Among those that received grants were the Red Cross, Samhjalp, research on benthic ecosystems in Laxa River, and small-town games UMF Hvatar in Blonduos.
Landsvirkjun supported the production of an Icelandic documentary series called What have we done? The series discussed the impact of consumerism and climate change on ecosystems and communities around the world, and how we can potentially turn this around. The series was produced by Sagafilm and won the media award of the Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources in 2019.
