Geothermal History

It can be proven that the first use of geothermal power was over 10,000 years ago when American-Paleo Indians used hot springs for bathing, washing, and cooking. However the first industrial use of geothermal was in Italy in the late 18th century where steam coming from natural vents was used to gather boric acid from hot pools. Italian scientists Piero Ginori invented the first electric power plant to be powered by steam in 1904. In 1946 the first ground source geothermal heat pump was installed at the Commonwealth Building in Portland, Oregon. With the oil embargo of the 1970s the need for energy to supplement oil was realized and geothermal heat pumps started to gain popularity. Today geothermal resources supply less than one percent of the world’s energy needs.

http://www.energydigital.com/renewable_energy/geothermal-energy-recession-proof-resource

http://www.sustainabilityninja.com/geothermal-sustainability/geothermal-power-digging-deep-this-year-72917/