Algae: Promising Alternative Energy
August 31st, 2007
A company has found a way to produce lots of algae on dry land. Diversified Energy uses small, permeable tubing that can be spread across a field, then filled with water and nutrients. As I found out with my fish pond, algae grows very quickly!
This is an important find for those hoping the bio-diesel can help solve our dependence on foreign oil:
The design is expected to provide an annual algae yield of 100 – 200 dry tons per acre. Capital costs are expected to be approximately $45k – $60k and profitable oil production costs are estimated at only $0.08 – $0.12/pound. These oil costs compare to recent market prices of feedstock oils anywhere from $0.25 – $0.44/pound.
More on the process here. Very cool.
