Editing Geothermal energy (section)

== History ==
[[File:Oldest geothermal.jpg|thumb|right|The oldest known pool fed by a hot spring, built in the [[Qin dynasty]] in the 3rd century BCE]]
[[Hot spring]]s have been used for bathing since at least [[Paleolithic]] times.<ref>{{Citation| last =Cataldi| first =Raffaele| date =August 1992| title =Review of historiographic aspects of geothermal energy in the Mediterranean and Mesoamerican areas prior to the Modern Age| periodical =Geo-Heat Centre Quarterly Bulletin| location =Klamath Falls, Oregon| publisher =Oregon Institute of Technology| volume =18| issue =1| pages =13–16| url =http://geoheat.oit.edu/pdf/bulletin/bi046.pdf| access-date =2009-11-01| archive-date =2010-06-18| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100618001239/http://geoheat.oit.edu/pdf/bulletin/bi046.pdf| url-status =dead}}</ref> The [[Huaqing Pool|oldest known spa]] is at the site of the Huaqing Chi palace. In the first century CE, Romans conquered ''[[Aquae Sulis]]'', now [[Bath, Somerset]], England, and used the hot springs there to supply [[thermae|public baths]] and [[hypocaust|underfloor heating]]. The admission fees for these baths probably represent the first commercial use of geothermal energy. The world's oldest geothermal district heating system, in [[Chaudes-Aigues]], France, has been operating since the 15th century.<ref name="utilization">{{Citation| last =Lund| first =John W.| date =June 2007| title =Characteristics, Development and utilization of geothermal resources| periodical =Geo-Heat Centre Quarterly Bulletin| location =Klamath Falls, Oregon| publisher =Oregon Institute of Technology| volume =28| issue =2| pages =1–9| url =http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull28-2/art1.pdf| access-date =2009-04-16| archive-date =2010-06-17| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20100617215822/http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull28-2/art1.pdf| url-status =dead}}</ref> The earliest industrial exploitation began in 1827 with the use of [[geyser]] steam to extract [[boric acid]] from [[volcanic mud]] in [[Larderello]], Italy.

In 1892, the US's first [[district heating]] system in [[Boise, Idaho]] was powered by geothermal energy. It was copied in [[Klamath Falls, Oregon]], in 1900. The world's first known building to utilize geothermal energy as its primary heat source was the [[Hot Lake Hotel]] in [[Union County, Oregon]], beginning in 1907.<ref>{{Citation |last=Cleveland |first=Cutler J. |title=Preface to the First Edition |date=2015 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-096811-7.50035-4 |work=Dictionary of Energy |access-date=2023-08-07 |publisher=Elsevier|page=291|doi=10.1016/b978-0-08-096811-7.50035-4 |isbn=9780080968117 }}</ref> A geothermal well was used to heat [[greenhouses]] in Boise in 1926, and geysers were used to heat greenhouses in Iceland and [[Tuscany]] at about the same time.<ref name="Dickson">{{Citation
 |last1 = Dickson
 |first1 = Mary H.
 |last2 = Fanelli
 |first2 = Mario
 |date = February 2004
 |title = What is Geothermal Energy?
 |publisher = Istituto di Geoscienze e Georisorse
 |place = Pisa, Italy
 |url = http://www.geothermal-energy.org/314,what_is_geothermal_energy.html
 |access-date = 2010-01-17
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110726100731/http://www.geothermal-energy.org/314,what_is_geothermal_energy.html
 |archive-date = 2011-07-26
 |url-status = dead
}}</ref> Charles Lieb developed the first [[downhole heat exchanger]] in 1930 to heat his house. Geyser steam and water began heating homes in Iceland in 1943.

[[File:geothermal capacity.svg|thumb|left|Global geothermal electric capacity. Upper red line is installed capacity;<ref name="Bertani">{{Citation
| last =Bertani | first =Ruggero | date =September 2007
| title =World Geothermal Generation in 2007
| periodical =Geo-Heat Centre Quarterly Bulletin
| location =Klamath Falls, Oregon
| publisher =Oregon Institute of Technology
| volume =28
| issue =3
| pages =8–19
| url =http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull28-3/art3.pdf
| access-date =2009-04-12
}}</ref> lower green line is realized production.<ref name="IPCC" />]]

In the 20th century, geothermal energy came into use as a generating source. Prince [[Piero Ginori Conti]] tested the first geothermal power generator on 4 July 1904, at the Larderello steam field. It successfully lit four light bulbs.<ref>{{Citation
 |author1=Tiwari, G. N. |author2=Ghosal, M. K. |title=Renewable Energy Resources: Basic Principles and Applications
 |publisher=Alpha Science
 |year=2005
 |isbn=978-1-84265-125-4
}}{{page needed|date=February 2014}}</ref> In 1911, the world's first commercial geothermal power plant was built there. It was the only industrial producer of geothermal power until New Zealand built a plant in 1958. In 2012, it produced some 594 megawatts.<ref name=sci2013>{{Citation |doi=10.1126/science.1235640|pmid = 23704561|title = More Power from Below|journal = Science|volume = 340|issue = 6135|pages = 933–4|year = 2013|last1 = Moore|first1 = J. N.|last2 = Simmons|first2 = S. F.|s2cid = 206547980|bibcode = 2013Sci...340..933M}}</ref>

In 1960, [[Pacific Gas and Electric]] began operation of the first US geothermal power plant at [[The Geysers]] in California.<ref name="100years">{{Citation |last=Lund |first=J. |title=100 Years of Geothermal Power Production |date=September 2004 |periodical=Geo-Heat Centre Quarterly Bulletin |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=11–19 |url=http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull25-3/art2.pdf |access-date=2009-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617221828/http://geoheat.oit.edu/bulletin/bull25-3/art2.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-17 |url-status=dead |location=Klamath Falls, Oregon |publisher=Oregon Institute of Technology}}</ref> The original turbine lasted for more than 30&nbsp;years and produced 11&nbsp;[[Megawatt|MW]] net power.<ref>{{Citation
 |last1 = McLarty
 |first1 = Lynn
 |last2 = Reed
 |first2 = Marshall J.
 |title = The US Geothermal Industry: Three Decades of Growth
 |journal = Energy Sources, Part A
 |volume = 14
 |issue = 4
 |pages = 443–455
 |year = 1992
 |url = http://geotherm.inel.gov/publications/articles/mclarty/mclarty-reed.pdf
 |doi = 10.1080/00908319208908739
 |access-date = 2009-11-05
 |archive-url = http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20160516221028/http://geotherm.inel.gov/publications/articles/mclarty/mclarty%2Dreed.pdf
 |archive-date = 2016-05-16
 |url-status = dead
}}</ref>

An organic fluid based binary cycle power station was first demonstrated in 1967 in the [[USSR]]<ref name="100years" /> and later introduced to the US in 1981{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}.  This technology allows the use of temperature resources as low as 81&nbsp;°C. In 2006, a binary cycle plant in [[Chena Hot Springs, Alaska]], came on-line, producing electricity from a record low temperature of {{convert|57|C}}.<ref name="Chena">
{{Citation
 | title = Understanding the Chena Hot flopë Springs, Alaska, geothermal system using temperature and pressure data
 | year = 2008
 | journal = Geothermics
 | pages = 565–585
 | volume = 37
 | issue = 6
 | last1 = Erkan | first1 = K.
 | last2 = Holdmann | first2 = G.
 | last3 = Benoit | first3 = W.
 | last4 = Blackwell | first4 = D.
 | doi = 10.1016/j.geothermics.2008.09.001
}}</ref>