The document discusses how algae biofuel could help countries reduce dependence on foreign oil. It notes that governments like the US and military are investing in algae research hoping to bring costs down. Several countries around the world are exploring algae biofuel. While more research is still needed, first movers in the industry are starting to produce meaningful quantities of fuel and move the industry closer to realizing algae's potential as a major biofuel source.

1. Can Algae Get Countries To Kick Foreign Oil? - Christian Wolan - Power Play - Forbes Page 1
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2. Can Algae Get Countries To Kick Foreign Oil? - Christian Wolan - Power Play - Forbes Page 2
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3. Can Algae Get Countries To Kick Foreign Oil? - Christian Wolan - Power Play - Forbes Page 3
used in the United States.
A number of national governments, chief among them the United States,
have enacted mandates and invested in the development of their emerging
domestic biofuel markets, hoping to bring down costs and expand output.
Last year, the Department of Agriculture awarded $24 million in grants to
three research groups exploring the feasibility of large scale algae
production. “The United States must find effective ways to hasten the
development of technologies for advanced biofuels made from algae and
other renewable resources to reduce our need for foreign sources of oil,”
said Cathy Zoi, assistant secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
The U.S. military has also been actively exploring ways to reduce the $14
billion dollar fuel bill it paid in 2010. Last year, the Department of Defense
spent $ 2.7 billion dollars to improve energy efficiency.
Noting that fuel supply lines are easy targets for insurgents in Afghanistan
and Iraq, Navy secretary Ray Mabus said a greener armed forces may save
lives. An army study found that for every 24 fuel convoys one soldier or
marine is killed. By 2020, Mabus wants 50 percent of the Navy’s and
Marines’ power to be supplied by renewable sources. The Army and Air
Force are also developing biofuels for vehicles and aircraft.
Other countries are betting on algae as well.
“There is intense interest in algal biofuels and bioproducts in this country
and abroad, including in Australia, Chile, China, the European Union,
Japan, Korea, New Zealand, and others,” a spokes person for the
Department of Energy said. “The Asia Pacific region has been culturing
algae for food and pharmaceuticals for many centuries, and these
countries are eager to use this knowledge base for the production of
biofuels.”
It is likely that several more years of sustained research, development and
demonstration–RD&D–will be necessary to overcome the cost and scale
barriers associated with algal biofuels. In the meantime , meaningful
quantities of fuels and products will be produced by first-movers that will
move the industry closer to realizing the full potential of this technology.”
A month ago, the Mexican government announced a partnership with the
algae technology developer OriginOil, and project operators Genesis
Ventures, and Ensenada’s Center for Scientific Research and Higher
Education to produce 1 percent, or about 6.6 million gallons, of the
country’s jet fuel in the next five years . If all goes well, “Mexico’s
Manhattan Project” seeks to produce twenty times that amount by 2020
and propel the country to the forefront of biofuel producing nations
Advantages algae has over other sources may make it the world’s favored
biofuel. “On one hand, algae is much more efficient at converting solar
energy into chemical energy than terrestrial crops. This means that less
surface area needs to be dedicated to biomass production,” Chris Beaven,
OriginOil’s senior director of business development and public affairs,
said Algae could potentially produce over 20 times more oil per acre than
http://blogs.forbes.com/christianwolan/2011/03/09/can-algae-biofuel-get-america-to-kick-its-foreign-oil-addiction/ 7/21/2011 7:28:07 PM