Have you heard about algae as an alternative fuel along with solar, hydrogen, and vegetable oil, to name a few?

In the great debate as to which fuel will be the front-runner to replace oil as the go-to source of energy of this century, there is, at this time, no clear winner. The entrenched oil companies and and the politicians that reside in their pockets continue to come up with one reason or another why each alternative should not be pursued.

Well, there is a new one to consider that seems to have great promise…….ALGAE! That’s right, the green scum that grows in ponds and waterways could silence everyone and alter the geo-politics of oil forever. YEA!

In just six months, investors pledged more than $1 billion to 30 or 40 algae-fuel companies that are experimenting with refining the refining process. Other players, including Bill Gates and his Cascade Investment venture fund have pledged a reported $50 million to Sapphire Energy, a San Diego startup.

Barack Obama mentioned algae several times during the campaign and the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, launched a $200 million effort to fund innovative biofuel technologies and projects, including some using algae.

The fact is, algae contains an abundance of natural fatty oils that don’t need much refining to power cars and jets. Nevertheless, making algae into a cost-effective fuel source remains a highly speculative venture. The process has been tried only on a small scale; so far, just a few thousand barrels of fuel have been made from algae. Large-scale cultivation takes place in huge metal tanks or open ponds.

One biofuels expert stated that, “The problem with algae isn’t so much the science as it is developing what has to be a major industrial process and whether this is cost-effective.”

Wired magazine reported that Airbus is jumping onto the alternative fuel bandwagon, working alongside Honeywell, International Aero Engines, UOP and JetBlue Airways to develop technology for turning algae and vegetable oil into fuel. Airbus is betting pond scum and veggies could provide 30 percent of all jet fuel by 2030.

Algae as a biofuel?

Pluses: The fastest-growing plants, algae theoretically can produce 30 times more energy per acre than other biofuel options. A particularly rich mix of byproducts can be made in algal-biofuels operations (everything from nutraceuticals to feedstocks for making plastics), potentially abetting their cost-effectiveness. This is the biofuels' dark horse.

Minuses: Unlike cellulosic ethanol, the biomass for making a lot of fuel from algae doesn't yet exist; it has to be grown from scratch. Harvesting is still expensive. Cost-effectively producing algal biofuels on a large scale may be many years away

Whichever alternative fuel wins the energy lotto, the is one thing for certain and that is that the oil industry’s days are numbered. It is our hope that it is much sooner then later.

AROUND the BLOGOSPHERE:

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