Geothermal energy, a clean, continuous energy source accessible in many locations, has been slow to catch on. Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Romans made extensive use of geothermal energy ' heat from the Earth ' including at the spa complex at present-day Bath, England. Electricity was first produced from geothermal sources in the early 1900s in Italy. In the United States, the Geysers geothermal field in California began generating electricity at scale in 1960, and routinely produces more than 725 megawatts of baseload power today. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), geothermal energy still supplies less than 1 percent of global electricity demand, although countries like Kenya (more than 40 percent of electricity generation) and Iceland (nearly 30 percent of electricity and 90 percent of the heating) have seen widespread adoption. In recent years, technological advances, an influx of private capital, and shifting energy and environmental policies have driven renewed...
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