The first successful attempt to tap underground heat was made in

Question

UnlockIAS · Accepted Answer

Correct — A, Boise, Idaho (USA). Boise is widely credited with the first successful attempt to tap underground (geothermal) heat, piping hot water from underground aquifers to heat homes and buildings — making it home to one of the earliest geothermal district-heating systems in the world.

Why the other options are wrong — (b) Israel is better known for pioneering solar energy use (mandatory rooftop solar water heaters), not for the first attempt to tap underground/geothermal heat.  (c) Japan sits on the geothermally active Pacific Ring of Fire and uses geothermal energy extensively today, but Boise, not Tokyo, is credited with the first successful attempt to tap underground heat.  (d) Canberra has no major geothermal resource and is not associated with early geothermal-heating history.

Concept: Geothermal energy taps heat stored underground — usually via hot water or steam drawn from underground aquifers — for direct heating or electricity generation. District heating (piping hot water to warm multiple buildings from a shared source) was one of the earliest practical uses of this heat, and Boise, Idaho is credited with hosting the first successful such attempt, later growing into one of the oldest continuously operating geothermal district-heating systems in the world.

State PCS 2023 Q59 — Geography PYQ with Answer

State PCS 2023 Q59 — Geography PYQ with Answer