Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
1864
Homes and dwellings had been built near springs through the millennia to take
advantage of their natural heat, but the construction of the Hot Lake Hotel near La
Grande, Oregon, marked the first time that the energy from hot springs was used on
a large scale.
1892
Boise, Idaho, provided the world's first district heating system as water was piped
from hot springs to town buildings. Within a few years, the system was serving 200
homes and 40 downtown businesses. Today, there are four district heating systems
in Boise that provide heat to over 5 million square feet of residential, business, and
governmental space. The United States has 17 district heating systems, and dozens
more can be found around the world.
1900
Hot springs water was piped to homes in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
1921
John D. Grant drilled a well at The Geysers with the intention of generating electric-
ity. This effort was unsuccessful, but a year later Grant met with success across the
valley at another site, and the United States' first geothermal power plant went into
operation. Grant used steam from the first well to build a second well, and several
wells later the operation was producing 250 kilowatts, enough electricity to light
the buildings and streets at the resort. The plant, however, was not competitive with
other sources of power, and it soon fell into disuse.
1927
Pioneer Development Company drilled the first exploratory well at Imperial Valley,
California.
1930
The first commercial greenhouse use of geothermal energy was undertaken in Boise,
Idaho. The operation used a 1000-foot well drilled in 1926. In Klamath Falls, Charlie
Lieb developed the first downhole heat exchanger (DHE) to heat his house. Today,
more than 500 DHEs are in use around the country.
1940
The first residential space heating in Nevada became available in the Moan area in
Reno.
1948
Geothermal technology moved east when Carl Nielsen developed the first ground-
source heat pump for use at his residence. J.D. Krocker, an engineer in Portland,
Oregon, pioneered the first commercial building use of a groundwater heat pump.
