Much to the surprise of many, geothermal energy has been a known energy source for some time. Here’s a timeline of significant geothermal events.

Geothermal Timeline

With any timeline, you have to start somewhere. In the case of geothermal energy, you literally have to start at the beginning of mankind. In our "grunt, hunt and forage" stage, mankind used caves to stay warm in the winter and cool in the hot summers. This was undoubtedly the first use of geothermal energy by humans.

Okay, let’s turn to more traditional timeline events.

Rome – During Rome’s heyday, bathhouses were all the rage. Most bathhouses used geothermally heated water. To this day, you can visit similar bathhouses in Budapest, Hungary and throughout much of Eastern Europe. If you get to Budapest, try the Gellert Hotel.

1886 - Hot water from hot springs is used as primary source for hotels in Banff, Canada.

1904 - Italian Prince Piero Ginori Conti invents the first geothermal electric engine.

1905 – Italian Prince Piero Ginori Conti uses geothermal energy to power lighting in buildings.

1913 – Prince Conti builds first geothermal energy production plant in Italy. It powers various factories.

1946 - First ground-source geothermal heat pump installed in a building.

1960 - First utility company in U.S. operates a geothermal power plant for supplying power to the public.

1978 – U.S. Government provides over $100 million dollars in funding for geothermal energy research.

1982 - Geothermal (hydrothermal) electric generating capacity, primarily utility-owned, reached a new high level of 1,000 megawatts.

1989 – Department of Energy [DOE] and the Electric Power Research Institute operated a 1-megawatt geopressured power demonstration plant in Texas, extracting methane and heat from brine liquids.

1990 - DOE funding for geothermal energy research and development declined throughout the 1980s, reaching its low point ($15 million).

1991 - The world’s first magma exploratory well was drilled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to a depth of 7,588 feet. It did not encounter magma at that depth inside the caldera.

1994 - California Energy became the world’s largest geothermal company through its acquisition of Magma Power. Near-term international markets gained the interest of U.S. geothermal developers.

1995 - Worldwide geothermal capacity reaches 6,000 megawatts.


As fossil fuel costs continue to climb and demand outgrows supply, alternative energy sources are coming front and center. Geothermal energy, solar power and many more are gaining supporters as the obvious energy choices for the future.