Shooting in a rain storm at the Blue Lagoon
It’s really hard to beat a week in Iceland. With the conference over, we went on a tour tracking down electric cars and the clean electricity to power them.
With our Icelandic Camera Operator Bjorn Helgason
Highlights the second half included an unlikely interview in the spectacular black lava “Blue Lagoon” hot springs. This is the place where tourists sometimes ask “…why did they build such a hot springs resort so close to a powerplant?!” The answer is the nearby geothermal powerplant is the very reason the spa exists. Why?? The Reykianes Peninsula geothermal plant uses the hot water it pumps up in three ways – first to to make nearly carbon free electricity, second to heat water in homes, and third to fill the Blue Lagoon resort lava fields with clean tourist-loving mineral water. We can say from personal experience, however, that this is not an easy place to film in such a place especially in rain and high winds.
We were lucky to get the interviews we were able to -especially with the President- as Iceland was under incredible financial stress. While we were there, the currency had lost half of its value, real estate transactions had stopped, and bankruptcy loomed thanks to rampant overseas speculation. Since we left, the country has taken over its 3 major banks and owes more then $60 billion dollars. Sound familiar?
Flying back to the US, the Icelandic airport security was so friendly I felt like I was in an idealic scene from “Catch Me if you Can.” Ahh, to live in a country with a great President, relaxed but secure airports and green electricity.
Big picture, one can’t help thinking how much money Iceland could have saved by not importing gasoline all these years when it had ample supplies of free electricity for its vehicles. That could definitely be in its future.
