subject: What is the History of Geothermal Energy [print this page] Geothermal energy is the use of the renewable energy found in the earth's core. This energy is generated from the origination of the earth's core, the shifting of tectonic plates, and the radioactive decay of the inner earth's minerals and elements.
Hot springs, which are geothermal hot water, have been used since Paleolithic times. Hot springs occur when there is a fissure through the earth connecting to the inner core. Water seeps into this area, and is warmed all the way to the earth's surface. The oldest known spa is a stone pool on Lisan Mountain built in the Qin Dynasty in the third century BC. In the first century AD, hot springs were used to feed into public baths as well as for under floor heating by the Romans.
In 1892, a district heating system was created in Boise, Idaho. It was powered by geothermal energy, and the technology quickly spread across the nation. Geothermal wells began heating greenhouses, and geysers quickly began being used as well. Geothermal energy was first used in 1930 to begin heating structures.
During this same period, geothermal power began to be used to generate electricity. Power generators were created and geothermal acid extraction began. The world's first geothermal power plant arrived on the scene in 1911.
At this point, the decades old heat pump began to be reused to draw forth geothermal energy. The heat pump then began to be used commercially, being implemented the first time in the 1940s. It was used to heat the Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon, and was quickly followed by the first residential heat pump. In 1973, during the Oil Crisis, the technology became even more popular. Currently, over a million geothermal heat pumps are used worldwide. Each year, about 80,000 units are installed in the USA and 27,000 in Sweden.
Geothermal energy is considered to be environmentally friendly. In the past, geothermal energy has been limited to tectonic plate boundaries. More recently this technology has been expanded to larger spaces. Most renewable energies do not release greenhouse gases. Geothermal energy does have the tendency to release greenhouse gases that are trapped beneath the earth's surface. However, it releases much smaller amounts of greenhouse gases than conventional fossil fuels. Therefore, geothermal energy lessens global warming when using in lieu of fossil fuels.
Many geothermal plants have various procedures to recapture their carbon emissions. It has also been theorized that any fluids that come to the surface through geothermal harvesting can be injected back into the earth.
Geothermal energy has a low impact on the environment. While the energy released from the earth does carry carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and other mixture of gases with them, geothermal energy is still low on the scale of pollutant energies. Many geothermal plants are also equipped with emissions-controlling systems, which can reduce emission intensity as well as exhaust from the various gases.
