September 18th, 2009

By Lyanne Melendez

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA (KGO) — Green technology is sparking hope that could help pull California out of a recession. On Friday, the governor visited a synthetic biology company in South San Francisco. But will the so-called “green jobs” really drive the economy? >> Read the full story

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March 4th, 2009

By Catherine Girardeau
Green Right Now

SAN FRANCISCO — You’ve probably heard of wheels powered by biodiesel, favored by indie rock bands, gardeners, and other greenies who want to save the world, one tank of used cooking oil at a time. These veggie-fuel fanatics can pull their trucks up to the local burger joint and haul away excess deep-fryer fat, which they take home and convert to usable fuel. But did you know scientists in university research labs and start up companies are using precision, high-tech gene splicing technology to figure out how to mass-produce biofuel from pond scum?

One such algae pioneer is Harrison Dillon, president and chief technical officer of South San Francisco renewable energy startup company Solazyme, Inc. Dillon, a PhD geneticist with training in patent law on the side, is leading his team of highly-skilled technicians to discover, and create, conditions under which algae will produce oil for food, cosmetics and fuel.

The first stop on my Solazyme tour was the parking lot for a ride in the company’s biodiesel-powered Jeep.

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