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Article | REF: BE8590 V2

Geothermy

Authors: Philippe LAPLAIGE, Jean LEMALE

Publication date: January 10, 2008 | Lire en français

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    1. The Earth as a source of heat

    The history of geothermal energy is closely linked to that of the creation of the Earth and its gradual changes. Our planet has undergone extraordinary metamorphoses, especially in the first part of its formation. It was during this period that the Earth gradually structured itself into different concentric spherical layers.

    All the obvious manifestations of our planet's thermal energy (volcanoes, fumaroles, hot springs, etc.) were known to our distant ancestors, and the earliest uses of geothermal energy are lost in the mists of time: hot springs for their curative virtues, cooking and drying food thanks to fumaroles, mining thermal springs to recover boric acid and extracting sulfur and salt.

    However, all these applications remained on an extremely modest scale, and it wasn't until the early 20th century...

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