Thorsteinn I. Sigfusson

CREATION AND LEADERSHIP

SCIENCE AND SOCIETY

 

I. The Hydrogen Economy

Iceland has almost no fossil resources with apart from some peat and limited wood. From the time of the settlement of Iceland in the 9th century AD the use of wood for construction and fuel has put this resource in danger of exhaustion. For three centuries the Icelandic industrial society has relied heavily on imported fossil fuels, coal, coke and petroleum. This has created a non-sustainable energy situation.

The abundant potential of Iceland regarding green power like hydroelectric and geothermal has led to two major changes of energy infrastructure in the past century. This was the introduction of hydroelectricity at the turn of the century and the geothermal space heating of major municipalities in the post World War II period.

Today, Iceland is facing a third major energy infrastructure revolution within a hundred years with the advent of hydrogen economy. Its roots can be traced to the work of Professor Bragi Arnason whom I joined around 1990. I planned to make a spin-off corporation from this university work which resulted in the formation of Icelandic New Energy Ltd.

In 1998 following a committee work of the Ministry of industry in Iceland, a new venture company ICELANDIC NEW ENERGY was founded. The government of Iceland had heralded the view that the creation of hydrogen economy in Iceland was its long time goal. The shareholders of this company are the Icelandic holding company VISTORKA (51%) owned by a number of Icelandic energy companies, institutions and the University of Iceland. The foreign owners (49%) are Daimler-Chrysler, Shell Hydrogen and Norsk Hydro. The University has a 1% share in this company but it is seen as a spin-off from the hydrogen research at the university. In 2000 I was asked to be chairman of the board of Icelandic New Energy. Its Managing Director is Jon Björn Skulason.

·         In the function as Chairman of Icelandic New Energy I had the honour and pleasure of inaugurating the new Hydrogen fuelling station in Reykjavik in the spring of 2003. The following autumn, the ECTOS busses came to Reykjavik, supported generously by the European Commission. The Ecological City Transport System project can be found on www.ectos.is and www.newenergy.is

·         The latest development of the Hydrogen Economy concerns the establishment of The International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy, founded during a Ministerial event in Washington DC in November 2003. The US leads the Steering Committee; Germany and Iceland lead the Implementation and Liaison Committee. I was asked by Energy Minister Valgerdur Sverrisdottir to act as Co Chair on behalf of Iceland.

II. Thermoelectricity

When dealing with the properties of the Fe-Si system I developed a probe to measure the electric conductivity of the system. I then discovered that due to thermoelectric effects the thermal emf in the system is huge. I kept this in my mind until I started combining thermoelectricity and hydrogen with some applications in mind. This work later led to a combined work with a group interested in thermoelectricity consisting of Gudlaugur Ottarsson, Petur I. Petursson and Reynir Arngrímsson. We formed a company Genergy-Varmaraf in 2000 with the aim to develop thermoelectricity as a possible way for generating electricity from geothermal and excess heat sources. A number of intellectual properties are involved and towards the end of 2001 we had established the company within the premises of Reykjavik Energy and had the New Business Venture Fund as main shareholder. The managing director of Genergy-Varmaraf is Dr. Arni Geirsson.

 

III. Westman Islands Research Facility

RITTS EU technology transfer project. JASON educational satellite broadcasting project.

Vestmannaeyjar is one of the main centres for fish and fish processing in Iceland. The islands are renowned for their natural beauty and active volcanism. In 1993 the Rector of the University of Iceland asked me to undertake the chairmanship in the newly established Committee of cooperation between UI and Vestmannaeyjar. Presently the work is centred in a newly renovated building where the Icelandic Marine Res. Inst. and the Icelandic Fishing Res. Inst. participate in an institution devoted to the research and development of the marine resources of Iceland. The Vestmannaeyjar unit is the largest field station of our university. Its director is Pall Marvin Jonsson.

I have been personally active in some of the areas of research related to the community in Vestmannaeyjar. For example I can mention: Lífsmark, a new rescue light invented by myself based on a basic invention of a new sea-immersion detector. A network of corporations focusing on sea safety is currently being formed. Participation of some Vestmanneyjar college students in the European Young Scientists contest in Newcastle autumn 1995. Third prize won. A student project concerned with optimising water use in freezing industry was supervised by me. The project won a nomination for the 1996 president Finnbogadottir´s innovation prize.

In 1995 I Invented the concept of Suðurland 2000, development project just recently granted support by the European Union. The project is called ICE-REGION and is a part of the RITTS program for regional innovation and technology transfer. I am chairman of the steering committee. Just recently we had five experts from Belgium, Holland and Ireland visiting Iceland inaugurating the first steps in an ECU 400.000 project aimed at technology transfer in Iceland. Its director was Dr. Orn Daniel Jonsson.

Close to the University Centre at Vestmannaeyjar we have established a Business Development Corporation initially led by Dr. Bjarki Brynjarsson former project leader at SINTEF Norway but from 2000 led by Mr Thorsteinn Sverrisson.

Finally it should be mentioned that in the spring of 1997 an educational broadcast by JASON USA was televised from Vestmannaeyjar to the United States for a fortnight, showing millions of students in American schools research in the biology and geology of Vestmannaeyjar. The headquarters was in the University Centre in Vestmannaeyjar.

 

IV. Experimentarium:

A few years ago I was asked to make suggestions for a new experimentarium for the Reykjavik Electricity Board museum in Elliðaárdalur. This has led to summer jobs for a number of students and we have built about 8 different "touch-me" instruments for the museum. References in publication list: 82, 95.

 

V. Human Capital and Mobility

This represents Iceland on the board. Now Training and Mobility of Researchers. I have tried to get Iceland involved in this programme for example by starting the participation in the European Young Scientists Contest called "Hugvisir" her in Iceland.

 

VI. Chairman

Of the Management committee of the Physics Olympiad hold in Iceland 1998.

 

VII. Chairman

Of Experimental Facility in a cooperation between Reykjavik Harbour and University 1997. This project originates from my relationship with Prof. Jon Bragi Bjarnason and Bergur Benediktsson which led to the foundation of North Ltd., a biotechnology company focussing on enzymes from fish. I am chairmanning of North Ltd. Presently North Ltd. works with Phairson Ltd. a British Medical Company developing pharmaceuticals from exotic marine enzymes. A daughter company Northice Ltd. Based at Hofn i Hornafirði has been established to market Northtaste, a fish taste extract based on enzymes.

 

VIII. Founder and presently board member

Of Vaki Ltd. (Innovation prize of the Export Council 1994) the company was a result of a project with my former student Hermann Kristjansson. The company is now the third largest electronics company in Iceland producing and marketing internationally biomass analysers for aquaculture based on laser diode technology, image analysis and microprocessors. It is a leader on the world market of aquaculture systems. A merger has now created Vaki-DNG an even stronger company.

 

IX. Founder and board member

Of Element Ltd. Sauðárkrókur, exporting sensor systems based on tinoxide technology, applied to sensing refrigerant gases such as freon and ammonia. Presently this company focuses mainly on software development and is one of the largest of its kind outside Reykjavik area.

 

X. As Chairman of the Icelandic Research Council

In 1998-2000 I tried to focus work on the human capital of Iceland, young scientists and in particular the following main fields of interest: Information Technology, Environment, The Cultural Legacy of Iceland and Changes in Society.

 

XI. Scientific and technical societies, Recognitions other than mentioned previously: