Geothermal energy supplies some 3 percent of California’s energy, so it’s always surprising to us what a low profile it has. Generating energy from the steam arising from the bowels of the earth, the amount of pollutants produced by this form of generation is minimal. Santa Rosa-based ThermaSource LLC, a geothermal drilling, engineering and consulting company, has raised $93 million over the past two years, including $41 million last month. It expects to double employment, from 200 currently to more than 420 by the end of the year, as it expands operations in California and Nevada, and moves into the Caribbean. 

In a feat of modern-day alchemy, methane generated by garbage rotting at the Altamont Landfill near Livermore will be converted to clean fuel for garbage trucks at a $15.5 million onsite facility starting in 2009. How cool is that?

This is a great example of a positive cycle: Those fumes that create the all-too-familiar nasty aroma of garbage will be cleansed and cooled to 260 degrees below zero, turning them into a liquid used to power the trucks delivering garbage to the landfill.

Houston-based Waste Management Inc. and Linde North America, a subsidiary of a German company, are working together to create the system. Hundreds of garbage and recyclable collection trucks dumping garbage at the site will run on the clean fuel, the companies said.

The novel approach will mean fewer greenhouse gases will be released into California’s air, both from decomposing garbage and vehicle emissions, to the tune of 30,000 tons per year.

A Linde-designed system will suck pollutants out of the gas and cool it to 260 degrees below zero, turning it into a liquid. Waste Management will use the liquefied natural gas in its own trucks, possibly also selling some of the fuel.

The system could go into action as soon as next year if it’s approved by Bay Area air quality officials, the companies said. (Photo: bucklava.)

As we all know, tomorrow is Earth Day, a 30-something-year-old event that has even greater significance now as the threat of global warming looms. If you want to curb your carbon emissions and do your bit for the environment, here’s a chance to not only save money on gas but pocket a crisp $100: 511 Rideshare, the free Bay Area Web and phone service that helps match commuters to carpools, is offering up to $100 in gas gift cards if you switch to carpooling (no fair if you’re already doing it … though, good on you!)

The program starts today, so you can cruise over to www.511.org or call (510) 273-3600 to get started. I’m interested to know: How many readers have changed your behavior - cloth shopping bag, compact fluourescent light bulb, more frequent BART trips - to be environmentally friendly? What tips do you have on going green? (Photo: tyger_lyllie)

The light bulb should go on in a big way for consumers tomorrow - the compact fluorescent, that is - as a new lamp using half the electricity of conventional lighting goes on sale. The low-energy but high-tech Berkeley Lamp II was designed by the California Lighting Technology Center at UC Davis in tandem with private company Full Spectrum Solutions. The lamp aims to solve problems many have found with the energy-saving fluorescent bulbs (pictured above; photo by slightfoot on flickr): dim, less-than-pearly-white light. Fiat lux!

Have you ever noticed the mysterious, vaguely science-fictionesque “polysorbate 60″ on an ingredients list for a Twinkie or other processed food? Turns out that it’s a mix of corn, palm oil and petroleum.

True! And it’s found in a wide variety of processed foods, food author Steve Ettlinger discovered in researching his book, “Twinkie, Deconstructed,” this newspaper reported Saturday. Niacin and food coloring (that’s yellow dye 5 and red dye 40) are also made from petroleum products.

I thought there was, um, an oil shortage or something like that? So, maybe not such a good idea to put it in what we EAT, you think? (Photo of yummy oil slick: ctd 2005.)

If you’ve been dying to leap into the seat of a Toyota Prius, Honda Insight or other fuel-saving vehicle, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has just made it a whole lot easier.

Helping Californians to lower fuel emissions and save money on gas, CARB is offering up to $3,000 in rebates for natural gas and hybrid electric cars and zero-emission scooters.

And if you bought a low-emission vehicle since last May and have been waiting for state funding to come through before submitting your rebate application, wait no more.

Vehicles must have been purchased between May 24, 2007 and March 31, 2009 to qualify. CARB estimates there are 25,000 vehicles already on the road that would qualify for the first-come, first-serve program that has a $1.6 million dollar cap. For a list of eligible vehicles and other info, go to www.fuelingalts.energycenter.org.

And consider that the CARB is helping us all cut carbs, as in “carbon emissions,” from our C A R s. There’s a certain classic symmetry there, eh? (Photo: double.reed on flickr.)

Can a business go green and stay in the black? Yvon Chouinard has built the model.

“Business has been accused of despoiling the environment, but it can enrich our lives and make a profit without losing its soul,” Chouinard, owner of Ventura-based Patagonia outdoor gear and clothing company, told a standing-room-only crowd at his Palo Alto store Tuesday. All the way back in 1970, Chouinard ditched the most successful element of his business, metal pitons, because they damaged rock, substituting reusable chocks that became wildly successful - a perfect example of doing well by doing Read the rest of this entry »

Geothermal energy, which generates electricity from steam, is gathering force in California, with a potential 3,000 megawatts of additional energy for the state. (One megawatt is enough to supply electricity for 750 California homes under normal conditions.) Example: Santa Rosa-based ThermaSource LLC, a geothermal drilling, engineering and consulting company, has raised $42.5 million and expanded from four to 160 employees in the last year and a half.

Read the rest of this entry »

Vince Maiorana of Orinda called to let us know he saved something in the neighborhood of 30 percent on his PG&E bill in January and February of 2006 in these ways: “At night, we had the furnace down to 64, 66 degrees. We have good insulation in the roof, and all the windows are double-paned.”  Also, many of the house’s windows face south and catch the sun. “The important thing is, we wanted to see how much we could save if we changed our lifestyle. And we did. It was an experiment and we won.” Congratulations, Vince, and thanks for the tips! If you have more energy-saving ideas, feel free to click on the comment button and share. (Photo: aNantaB)

Maybe you’ve learned that sealing off a room shaves a cool - er, warm - $10 a month off the heating bill, or just bundling up in sweaters around the house helps keep the thermostat lower. What do you do to keep heating costs down during the winter? Share your ideas here and we’ll scoop them up and drop ‘em in a story next week for the world to read. Low-tech is fine, or spare no expense. All ideas welcome! (Photo: midnightcomm)