What is geothermal energy? It refers to the energy from the Earth converted into heat. The heat circulates through a fluid (water in this case) which crosses the depths of the Earth and thus raises the calories in the water (or thermal energy). This thermal energy is then used directly or converted into electricity.
The first use of geothermal energy takes place in Italy. In 1818, the industrialist François Larderel had an idea of covering the ponds of Montecerboli with a stone bell in order to extract boron. The vapors emanating from it are captured towards copper boilers, creating the formation of a deposit of boric acid extracted from the sludge.
This extraction made the wealth of the young entrepreneur who used on this occasion and for the first time, geothermal energy on an industrial scale.
From 1832 to 1842, François Larderel drilled in order to directly release the overheated gas from the basements and thus increase the flow for the heating of the furnaces of his industry. He even managed to produce electricity.
In 2012 in the French region of “Ile-de-France”, geothermal energy represents 16% of energy consumption and the following year this energy has supplied the equivalent of 187,000 homes. This represents more than 240,000 tons of CO2 avoided annually.
