Geothermal Energy

Hot water from the depths of the earth has been used for thousands of years. Even the ancient Romans enjoyed the comfort of underfloor heating and warm baths. The first geothermal power plant was built at Larderello in northern Italy in 1913. Today, geothermal plants can be found in Iceland, Hawaii, the Philippines, California, China and Africa.

Growing interest

Geothermal energy is currently booming in Germany after the German Renewable Energy Act (EEG) introduced a rate of up to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour of electricity supplied from geothermal power plants in 2004. Many geothermal power generation projects have recently been started and are at various stages of development, in particular along the Upper Rhine and in the Alpine foothills. To date, no such power plant is in commercial operation in Germany.