THE Algae Thread (merged)

[SeaGypsy]

I'm dubious on the long term benefit of the tech also, but I see collapse as likely to be partial, with all kinds of attempts at blowing bubbles meanwhile/ carbon credits being one of those schemes being designed by the globalists as a logical business strategy in a shaky global economy.

[Plantagenet]

Government support for algae fuel research goes back almost 30 years to the Reagan administration. The algae research program that Obama described in his state of the union speech was actually started by Reagan 30 years ago, was killed by Clinton 15 years ago, and now is being resurrected by the Obama administration.

Obama restarting Reagan-era project on algae fuel research


"The Reagan Administration and the national algal biofuels program

The vital pivot from hydrogen to transportation fuel as a product from algae was undertaken by the Reagan Administration, and was continued under the Bush Administration.

The program, in fact, was shut down under the stewardship of Secretary Hazel O’Leary, a Democrat serving under President Bill Clinton.....It goes back to why the algae R&D program was shut down. At the time, the researchers concluded that 1990s energy prices were too low by a third to support algal biofuels. That was in the days of $20 oil. They thought that oil would have to be at something astronomic, like $80 a barrel, for algal biofuels to make sense.

Times have changed. Oil hit $135 in 2008. Today, West Texas intermediate is at $106 a barrel. Miles above $80. That’s why the algal R&D was restarted. That’s why so many people are getting behind the technology."



Starting and stopping and then restarting government backed research on things like algae gasoline is not a national energy plan. This kind of short-term perspective is why we need a real national energy policy with a real plan for the future, not just knee jerk responses by politicians that come and go in response to spikes in gasoline prices.
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[vtsnowedin]

The fact that the energy companies are now making their own investments in algae oil is a good sign. The money will be better spent then any government research grant and positive results much more likely. On the other hand this investment indicates that in spite of their public positions on Peak oil their actual opinion on the subject has come around to the position that substitutes will soon be needed and profitable.

[Sys1]

Algae technology is in the domain of Jaevon paradox. It is not a new energy but a way to improve the use of fossil fuels by using a part of wastes (CO2) currently produced to have more oil. By the way, be sure this "green" oil will be burnt and will in the end finish in the atmosphere.

[vtsnowedin]

Algae technology is in the domain of Jaevon paradox. It is not a new energy but a way to improve the use of fossil fuels by using a part of wastes (CO2) currently produced to have more oil. By the way, be sure this "green" oil will be burnt and will in the end finish in the atmosphere.

Properly done algae oil is a conversion of solar energy through photosynthesis into a storable liquid fuel. Much more then just a conversion of fossil fuel energy or an efficiency gain. To be sure of this production farms would have to operate pumps etc. on PV, wind or hydro power so there would be no fossil fuel inputs into the final product.

[bcole]

DOE BIOMASS PROGRAM AND ALGAE RESEARCHERS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED!

Solydra story is opening a huge can of worms at the DOE LOAN GURANTEE LOAN PROGRAM. Its not just about the Solar loan guarantee program. Look at all the millions in fees collected by the DOE LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM with algae projects less than 20% completed. An audit is being done on all DOE GRANTS to algae researchers and ndividuals from the DOE that are now working in private industry. Very incestuous!

The US taxpayer has spent over $2.5 billion dollars over the last 50 years on algae research. To date, nothing has been commercialized by any algae researcher.

The REAL question is: Does the DOE BIOMASS PROGRAM really want the US off of foreign oil or do they want to continue funding more grants for algae research to keep algae researchers employed at universities for another 50 years?

In business, you are not given 50 years to research anything. The problem is in the Congressional Mandate that says the DOE can only use taxpayer monies on algae research, NOT algae production in the US. So far, algae research has not got the US off of foreign oil for the last 50 years!

A Concerned Taxpayer

ARPA-E halts algae project, citing missed milestones
Jim Lane | February 16, 2012
Share"In Washington, the DOE has halted a research project at Iowa State University funded by ARPA-E to develop biofuel feedstock from an aquatic micro-organism for failing to reach research milestones. About 56% of the $4.4 million grant was used. Politicians against increasing APRA-E funding as proposed by President Obama’s new budget are using it and other halted ARPA-E projects as examples to reject the program."

[vtsnowedin]

DOE BIOMASS PROGRAM AND ALGAE RESEARCHERS NEED TO BE INVESTIGATED!

Solydra story is opening a huge can of worms at the DOE LOAN GURANTEE LOAN PROGRAM. Its not just about the Solar loan guarantee program. Look at all the millions in fees collected by the DOE LOAN GUARANTEE PROGRAM with algae projects less than 20% completed. An audit is being done on all DOE GRANTS to algae researchers and ndividuals from the DOE that are now working in private industry. Very incestuous!

The US taxpayer has spent over $2.5 billion dollars over the last 50 years on algae research. To date, nothing has been commercialized by any algae researcher.

The REAL question is: Does the DOE BIOMASS PROGRAM really want the US off of foreign oil or do they want to continue funding more grants for algae research to keep algae researchers employed at universities for another 50 years?

In business, you are not given 50 years to research anything. The problem is in the Congressional Mandate that says the DOE can only use taxpayer monies on algae research, NOT algae production in the US. So far, algae research has not got the US off of foreign oil for the last 50 years!

A Concerned Taxpayer

ARPA-E halts algae project, citing missed milestones
Jim Lane | February 16, 2012
Share"In Washington, the DOE has halted a research project at Iowa State University funded by ARPA-E to develop biofuel feedstock from an aquatic micro-organism for failing to reach research milestones. About 56% of the $4.4 million grant was used. Politicians against increasing APRA-E funding as proposed by President Obama’s new budget are using it and other halted ARPA-E projects as examples to reject the program."

Who set the mile stones? Some aid to a congressman?

[bcole]

Neither Sapphire Energy nor the Algal Biomass Organization responded to requests for comment

BY: CJ Ciaramella - February 22, 2012 5:00 am
The federal government awarded Sapphire Energy, a green energy concern, more than $100 million for a project that is behind schedule, has only created a fraction of its expected jobs, and is, according to some experts, at least a decade away from creating a viable product.

Founded in 2007, Sapphire is working to develop algal biofuel—a replacement to crude oil made from algae and able to be refined into gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel.

Sapphire raised $100 million from private investment firms, including ARCH Venture Partners. Bob Nelsen, a founding partner of ARCH, served on Obama’s National Finance Committee during the 2008 campaign.

A Washington Post investigation found billions of taxpayer dollars flowed to green energy companies backed by venture capital firms with ties to the Obama administration.

Sapphire was no exception. In 2009, executives, board members, and employees at Sapphire contributed almost exclusively to Democratic campaigns. For example, Sapphire CEO Jason Pyle has donated only to Democrats, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

The company has received $104.5 million from the federal government, roughly half of which were 2009 stimulus funds from the Department of Energy, to build an algae-based biofuel operation in Columbus, New Mexico.

Sapphire has spent more than $1.8 million lobbying the federal government since 2008, with an appreciable spike in 2009, when there were several biomass-related bills up for consideration.

One such bill was the Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act of 2010, which would have expanded federal tax credits for biofuel to include algae-based fuels. It passed the House in 2010 but never made it to the floor of the Senate. The House bill was co-sponsored by Rep. Brain Bilbray (R., Calif.), whose district surrounds Sapphire’s San Diego headquarters. Bilbray is the only Republican to whom Sapphire executives and board members reliably contribute.

In 2011, the Algal Biomass Organization, which promotes the industry, hired one of the biggest law firms in the U.S., K&L gates, to advocate at the federal level. That same year, Tom Udall (D., N.M.) co-sponsored a new bill, the Renewable Fuel Parity Act of 2011, that would give algal biofuel the same tax breaks as other forms of biofuel.

There is considerable interest in developing algal biofuel. Sapphire was ranked 97 on a Forbes list of the most promising companies in 2011. There are several other companies working to develop the fuel as well.

However, like many stimulus projects, Sapphire’s new facility has faced delays. The plant was supposed to be operational by 2011, creating almost 750 temporary and 40 permanent jobs. But Sapphire did not break ground until June 2011.

In October 2011, two years after being awarded federal grants, the project had only employed 15 New Mexicans and spent $575,000. Sapphire Vice President of Corporate Affairs Tim Zenk told the Las Cruces Sun-News that the project has “a long ways to go.”

In November 2011, the federal government kicked more money Sapphire’s way—this time a $54.5 million loan from the Department of Agriculture.

According to the most recent quarterly report filed at Recovery.gov, the project is less than 50 percent complete and has created 36 jobs.

Questions have also been raised about the viability of algal biomass as an alternative fuel.

Mary Rosenthal, the head of the Algal Biomass Organization, predicted in 2010 that algal fuel could compete with oil within seven years. However, a 2010 report by the University of California Berkeley’s Energy Biosciences Institute said it would take a decade of testing to even determine if algae companies can produce mass quantities of fuel at competitive prices.

The fuel is not yet commercially available. The main consumer has been the U.S. Navy, which paid $12 million for 450,000 gallons of biofuel in 2011. That works out to $26.67 per gallon.

Neither Sapphire Energy nor the Algal Biomass Organization responded to requests for comment

[pstarr]

It appears that unwarranted algae-research grants are finally being questioned. I see a pattern here. -

--The Republicans rush thoughtlessly into an untenable program. GW Bush authorized the corn ethanol mandates under pressure from his cronies at ADM.

--The Republicans quickly abandon ethanol biofuels for a new distraction, 3rd generation cellulosic and algae scams

--- and then blame the Democrats for doing the difficult, dirty, adult work of cleaning the mess up.

yeah I see a pattern here.

[bcole]

Why have billion$ (yes billions) been poured into algae. Algae has been used as transportaion fuels by the airlines and automobile industry. Is it because drilling offshore and the Canadian Oil Sands is too expensive? Is it because electric cars are years away?

[pup55]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-06-03/exxon-600-million-algae-investment-spurs-khosla-to-dismiss-as-pipe-dream.html

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site ... ewsLang=en

In the case of ExxonMobil: They have a $600M investment which they will spend over the next decade... as of mid-2010. This company made $41B in profits last year, therefore the entire "massive" investment of $60M per year amounts to 12.8 HOURS of profits. This is before all of the generous R and D credits and tax writeoffs, plus favorable public relations they get from it.

http://grist.org/business-technology/20 ... ew-energy/

Conoco Phillips has entered into a $300M joint venture with GE and NRG energy... no detail on who invested what, but we're talking biofuels in general in this case, including wood chips and other biomass, but let's be really generous and say that Conoco Phillips invested the whole thing, and it all went to Algae: 9 days' profits.

Their website did produce 6 hits for the word "algae" they have a $5M "algae" project underway in Colorado, which is nearly 3.5 hours of profits for this company...big spenders.

So I would challenge the basic idea that they're all that serious, or investing serious money in the projects, or even consider it anything more than politically correct lip service while they pour much more money into the Eagle Ford, or Bakken or any of those other more plausible projects.

[PrestonSturges]

The military is investing in this quite a bit because algae can also produce fuel in the dark with some simple carbon compounds, not the complex sugars required by yeast.

[MD]

It's not so much the energy streams that matter with algae, it's all of the other petroleum based products.

The heavy/nasty stuff still in the ground is already more expensive and harder to deal with ecologically than algae when you're talking high end products.

Energy will eventually be a side benefit.

Change your paradigm. (The first one to shout "Buzzword Bingo" wins a prize!)

[PrestonSturges]

Also if any country enacts cap & trade or carbon credits, they'll want a way to take advantage of those tax breaks.

[vtsnowedin]

It seems like a reasonable amount to spend on R&D considering the value a substitute for crude oil will have post peak.

[Graeme]

Algae pushed as next big thing in biofuels – video

Barack Obama has publicly supported algae as a biofuel. Critics says it's as far-fetched as Newt Gingrich's ideas of living on the moon. Now a scientist says he's made a breakthrough: he's making algae capable of producing 400% more hydrogen. Could algae be the solution, not only for US energy independence, but for climate change too?

guardian

The science of fuels made from algae, explained

Last month, President Obama touted fuels produced from immense swaths of algae as the future of energy, providing up to 17 percent of transportation fuel. But how do you get from pond scum to energy-rich fuels that can power our machines?

Reporters from ClimateDesk, a collaborative news service, put together this video explaining how scientists are studying the algae in the lab, why it is a potential fuel source, and how small companies are getting into the game.

smartplanet

[pstarr]

he's making algae capable of producing 400% more hydrogen.

Then he has created a new life form heretofore unknown on planet earth. Algae is a photosynthesizing plant that produces oxygen. not hydrogen.

[Graeme]

I know MIT are involved in hydrogen production using algae.

http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2011/algae-fuel-0524.html

There may well be others if you google.

[Graeme]

A summary (including links) of the process of producing hydrogen from algae can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biohydrogen_reactor

[ian807]

Mostly PR, but if they can supply small quantities of incredibly expensive fuel to the military and government, why not have the business set up ahead of time?