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.

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