Geothermal Energy

Not far from the blinking casinos of this gambler's paradise lies what could be called the Biggest Little Power Plant in the World. Tucked into a few dusty acres across from a shopping mall, it uses steam heat from deep within the Earth's crust to generate electricity. Known as geothermal, the energy is clean, reliable and so abundant that this facility produces more than enough electricity to power every home in Reno, population 221,000. "There's no smoke.

Hoping to tap into California's growing appetite for renewable power, Calpine Corp. today will unveil an ambitious expansion of its geothermal operations, considered one of the state's most promising clean-energy sources. The overhaul of the Geysers geothermal project, expected to cost $75 million in its first year, is evidence of the strong demand for cleaner energy in California.

When tremors started cracking walls and bathroom tiles in this Swiss city on the Rhine, engineers knew they had a problem. "The glass vases on the shelf rattled, and there was a loud bang," Catherine Wueest, a teashop owner, recalls. "I thought a truck had crashed into the building." But the 3.4-magnitude tremor on the evening of Dec.

What do Icelanders know about heat? Quite a lot, it turns out. For 70 years, the chilly island nation has been tapping the Earth's warmth -- using geothermal energy to heat buildings and swimming pools, melt snow and generate more than a quarter of the country's electricity. And now they've come to California to share the knowledge.

Indonesia, land of earthquakes and volcanoes, may be sitting on top of the solution for its energy needs: vast reservoirs of hot water deep beneath the earth's crust that can be harnessed to generate electricity. What's more, it's a clean, renewable energy source. Yet the country imports millions of barrels of oil and fuel annually. Legal uncertainties, financial risks and government bureaucracy have repelled international investors from developing its geothermal resources.

One of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's recently departed advisors has secured a job handling renewable energy business for an international law firm. The mayor's former deputy chief of staff, Dan Grunfeld, 49, is taking a position with the law firm of Kaye Scholer and will work in its Los Angeles office representing clients in such fields as green technology, alternative energy and compliance with environmental laws. Villaraigosa has promised to make Los Angeles "the greenest big city in America" by pushing the Department of Water and Power toward more solar, wind and geothermal energy.

At Allen Clay's house in this mountain hamlet of Lake County, earthquakes aren't just a distant worry. They are an unsettling fact of daily life. Clay points to his kitchen counter as proof. The counter has become slightly bent, causing water to run down one side. His outdoor walkway has slanted in places, and the foundation of his tidy bungalow shows small cracks -- all the result, he believes, of temblors. "If you shake something every day, something's going to happen," Clay said.