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<img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.kahimyang.com/resources/Arturo-Pineda-Alcaraz-t.jpeg"  alt="Arturo Pineda Alcaraz" />
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(Arturo Pineda Alcaraz)
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A Pioneer in Geothermal Energy Development
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Arturo Pineda Alcaraz was born on March 21, 1916, in Manila to Conrado Alcaraz and Paz Pineda. His educational journey began at the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/2813/today-in-philippine-history-december-21-1888-tomas-mapua-founder-of-the-mapua-institute-of-technology-was-born-in-binondo-manila" class="news_link">Mapúa Institute of Technology</a>, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mining Engineering in 1937. He subsequently pursued advanced studies at the <a href="https://www.wisc.edu/" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">University of Wisconsin-Madison</a>, earning his Master of Science degree in Geology in 1941. Later, he obtained his Ph.D. in Geology from the <a href="https://www.berkeley.edu/" class="news-link-ext" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">University of California, Berkeley</a>, in 1956.
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Alcaraz's professional career took off when he joined the Bureau of Mines after graduation. His expertise in volcanology and geology positioned him perfectly to explore the Philippines' vast geothermal potential. In 1951, when the Commission on Volcanology was officially established under the National Research Council, Alcaraz was appointed as Chief Volcanologist, a position he held until 1974.
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Historic Achievement in Geothermal Power Generation
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The defining moment in Alcaraz's career came in 1967 when he and his team successfully demonstrated the <a href="https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/870/today-in-philippine-history-january-11-1979-the-philippines-inaugurated-its-first-geothermal-plant-in-tiwi-albay" class="news_link">first geothermal power generation</a> in the Philippines. Working in Tiwi, Albay, they powered an electric light bulb using steam-powered electricity generated from volcanic steam. This historic achievement involved drilling a one-inch hole 400 feet into the ground, where steam powered a turbo-generator that lit up a light bulb. This simple yet revolutionary demonstration marked the beginning of the Philippines' geothermal energy era.
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The success at Tiwi was just the beginning. Under Alcaraz's leadership as Chief of the Geothermal Division of the National Power Corporation, the Philippines achieved remarkable progress in geothermal energy development. By 1974, the country had achieved the production of 550 megawatts of steam power at Tiwi and Mac-Ban, making the Philippines the largest producer of geothermal electric energy from wet steam in the world. The country's geothermal capacity continued to grow, and by the 1980s, the Philippines had attained the second highest geothermal generating capacity globally, surpassing mentor countries like Italy and New Zealand.
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July 9, 1985: Arturo Alcaraz won the IBM Science and Technology Award