Crazy 8s: Algae’s 8 Crazy-Fast Cores of Innovation

May 06, 2013

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by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who’s behind the 8-ball, the algae optimists or pessimists? It all comes down to the pace of innovation in 8 cores.

... In a recent survey of its members, the Algae Biomass Organization found that more than 95 percent of producers believe it that algae-based fuels may be able to compete with fossil fuels as soon as 2020.

Yet, algae skeptics abound.

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Here at the Digest, we are not entirely sure that adding 11 square miles (7,040) acres to the US aggregate farm acreage represents a daunting challenge for US farmers, should passive-design, open-pond systems ultimately become the dominant deployment system at scale. Passive-design systems are pretty darn passive — according to Sapphire Energy, that company expects its ponds to ultimately feature no pond lining, or electricity-powered systems such as paddlewheels.

True, it’s a carefully sculpted system and is far from something as simple as a backyard garden — but so are modern US farms, which are based on highly precision-designed seeding (and in many cases, irrigation) systems. Last year, US farmers added 4.5 million acres of corn planting, compared to 2011 — an investment of at an average (non-land) cost of $516 per acre (based on estimates by the University of Illinois, here.

Net investment for that one crop, in one year? $2.32 billion. One crop, one year – we don’t see access to land or capital as a significant issue for winning technologies once they are proven at scale.

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In terms of whether algae will be a significant contributor to fuels production before 2020, generally it comes down to the expected pace of innovation. And there’s a lot of activity going on.

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Here in Digestville, we see 8 cores of innovative activity on a host of related frontiers including: