Green Power from Algae?

In the past, Venetians have looked upon algae as their scumbag enemy, but now they’re hoping to tame the plants to satisfy the historic Italian seaport’s energy needs. Will algae provide the ultimate in green power, or is the scheme merely a green pipe dream?

The Venetian port authority’s deal with Enalg, announced last week, represents one of the latest and highest-profile forays into algae-fueled energy production. As detailed in the port’s news release, the plan calls for construction of a $273 million, 40-megawatt power plant by 2011, using technology pioneered by Washington-based Solena Group.
Like many other plants, algae produce an oil that can be converted for industrial use. Solena’s process involves growing the algae in plastic cylinders that are supplied with water, carbon dioxide and sunshine. The resulting biomass is then turned into a synthetic natural gas to fire electricity-generating turbines. The carbon dioxide released by burning the gas is fed back into the system to help grow the next generation of algae.

MSNBC