Inter Press Service: Iceland manages to produce tomatoes, paprika and cucumbers all year round by harnessing geothermal energy locally, even though the growing season is short. Iceland first started to use geothermal energy in the late 19th century for heating soil to grow outdoor vegetables, and continued in a small way in the early 20th century for heating swimming pools, greenhouses and buildings. But it was only during the oil crisis in the 1970s that Icelanders started to develop their geothermal ...