“We’ve produced tens of thousands of gallons, and by the end of 2010, I hope I can say we’ve produced hundreds of thousands,” Wolfson, 39, says. “In the next two years, we should get the cost down to the $60 to $80-a-barrel range.”
At that price, Solazyme’s algae fuel would compete with $80-a-barrel oil.
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A good run-down on the state of algae biofuel--the so-called third generation. (Generation one was ethanol and generation two was celluosic) Generation four involves an interation between the fuels and solar energy.
Very thorough, well-sourced article about the technology and the key players in getting it consumer-ready. It does not directly address emissions, though. It mentions that the algae eat "twice their weight" in CO2, but it is not clear whether that offsets the emissions of burning the fuel, which Solazyme CEO Jonathan Wolfson says is "chemically indistinguishable form its petroleum-based equivalent."
This is better than petroleum in every way except the elephant in the room: carbon emissions. This would only serve to perpetuate the status quo in automobile technology. Whether the growing algae will offset the carbon emissions is not clear from the article.
Great overview on the use of algae as a biofuel to power our energy needs. This in-depth report points to some of the market leaders in this emerging field (Solazyme, Sapphire, Exxon), and provides a variety of perspectives on its potential as a renewable energy source. The focus here is more on business than technology, but the article is a good introduction to this promising energy solution.
Plenty of viewpoints, well balanced. In fact, maybe there are too many viewpoints, with not much depth from each.
Quite a good and lengthy industry and market reporting by Kambiz Foroohar on algae-based biofuel production, investments and marketing. While the promotion of algae-based biofuel is somehow similar to its forestry-based counterpart, that it may be contributing to global warming, it perhaps will not give chance to individuals or groups to say: food or fuel? Or should we eat, or drive cars?
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