The first commercial ground-source geothermal heat pump went into operation in at the Equitable Building, now called the Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon. The s saw a rapid increase in the number of district heating systems in the United States. It also saw advances in technology for geothermal power plants with successful demonstrations of flash steam systems and binary cycle systems.
Ground source heat pumps gained wide use beginning in the mid s as well Rafferty , 1. During the s the global geothermal heat pump market grew rapidly in the United States and Europe. The market also grew, though to a lesser extent, in other countries around the world. This rapid growth has continued during the first decade of the century.
In , 77 countries combined for 28, MW of installed thermal capacity resulting in an estimated 75, GW of annual energy use Lund , This was an increase from the 55 countries reporting direct use not electricity generation in and 24 countries in Lund and Freeston , 1. News, analysis, experiments, videos, games, and educational paths on the issues of energy and the environment for complete and topical information.
And yet we can say that currently geothermal energy is the Cinderella of renewables, at least in terms of notoriety. A veritable flop if one thinks that Italy, as well as having exceptionally suitable geophysical characteristics for the cultivation of this resource, such as the presence of volcanic areas and hydrothermal vents, is also the cradle of geothermal energy.
Prehistory Although this resource is increasingly gaining space in the energy horizon of the future, we must not forget that this is one of the first energy resources with which man interacted in the past. According to a study published by the University of the United Nations, in fact, the history between geothermal energy and Homo sapiens could even date back as far as 14, BC, even though the first archaeological finds that testify to this relationship date back to between 9 and 5 thousand years.
According to archaeologists, the first men used to settle in the vicinity of areas active from the geothermal point of view, not only to enjoy the benefits of the thermal waters, but also for cooking and the use of volcanic products.
These first man-geothermal relationships, according to experts, already took place 13, years ago on a Japanese island and 7, years ago on the Asian continent. While on the Greek islands there is no lack of traces of therapeutic and cosmetic uses and in the Middle East the signs of a connection with rituals and religious beliefs.
The Etruscans and Romans According to some scholars, the real "fathers of the geothermal industry" were the Etruscans. A people that not only used to build most of its settlements and cities at hydrothermal vents, but which even made geothermal energy products - such as alabaster, travertine, iron oxides and mud baths - veritable bartering goods. Pioneers not only in trade but also in crafts, the Etruscans were the first to coat their tools with enamel, using borax, a boron compound available in boraciferous sources, which at high temperature is transformed into an insulating glass and is still used for welds.
The technologies developed by this people were absorbed and perfected by the Romans, for whom every aspect of daily life was interwoven with spas: those used for religious purposes, for socialising, relaxation and treatment or in political life. And from Agrippa onwards, many powerful men tried to win popular support by building more and more sumptuous as well as affordable spas.
At spas the Romans looked after themselves, heard musical performances, kept themselves informed and concluded business. But then, as the Latins said: Balnea, vina, Venus corrumpunt corpora nostra; sed vitam faciunt spas, wine and love corrupt our bodies, but they make life good. The other effort is directed toward the accelerated use of geothermal heat pumps for heating buildings.
The Energy Policy Act of was passed. This policy changed U. It included several changes directed towards making geothermal energy more competitive with fossil fuels when it came to generating electricity. According to the U. Like all forms of energy production, work had to start somewhere. What and where is the first geothermal power plant in the world?
Larderello To find the first geothermal power plant in the world you have to go to Tuscany, Italy in the early twentieth century.
The creation of the first geothermal power plant was thanks to Prince Piero Ginori Conti of Trevignano. Conti initially worked for his father in law Florestano de Larderel in the processing of boric acid.
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