Some very good news about oil price dropping $1 per gallon

[sdowney717]

Darpa is part of the US government and they have cracked the algae fuel production issues. This should eventually hold the line on the price of oil.

http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2010/02/15/darpa-official-says-teams-at-2-per-gallon-algal-fuels-headed-for-1-50-mgy-scale-by-2011/


DARPA official says teams at $2 per gallon algal fuel, headed for $1; commencing commercial scale by 2013

In Washington, the special assistant for energy at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which has been conducting two algal fuels projects, said that “Darpa has achieved the base goal to date. Oil from algae is projected at $2 per gallon, headed towards $1 per gallon.”

Barbara McQuiston told the Guardian that the General Atomics and SAIC-led projects have been recording harvests at more than 1,000 gallons per acre and predicted that large-scale refining, at the 50 Mgy level, would commence as soon as 2013. DARPA is chasing a US military-based goal of obtaining half its fuel from renewable sources by 2016. In Afghanistan, if you could be able to create jet fuel from indigenous sources and rely on that, you’d not only be able to source energy for the military, but you’d also be able to leave an infrastructure that would be more sustainable,” McQuiston told the Guardian.

[ubunterooster]

uhh..the large part of the price of oil is added taxes, not production. Still, I think that getting oil from algea is a pretty good idea

[McRat]

Algae-based biodiesel is the most efficient biofuel known.

It is a fuel any country can produce once the technology is available.

1,000 gallons / acre for algae diesel vs. 328 for corn ethanol.

But what you don't see, is you can produce twice the horsepower per gallon from diesel as ethanol.

So it's about 6/1 advantage over corn.

[forrestcupp]

uhh..the large part of the price of oil is added taxes, not production. Still, I think that getting oil from algea is a pretty good idea

Maybe the government will be nice and not tax renewable fuel as high.

[oldsoundguy]

Maybe the government will be nice and not tax renewable fuel as high.

Fat chance!! There is a huge infrastructure that is totally dependent on the taxes generated by fuel sales. Not to mention most of those taxes are earmarked for transportation alternatives (mass transit) and road and highway construction and maintenance.

[Legendary_Bibo]

Well they could either have it high for a while on the basis that it provides a better gas mileage to pay off the R&D costs, and what not, then the prices could fall to a very affordable level. What happened to all electric and hybrid cars though? What's the emissions with this fuel?

[Shining Arcanine]

Are these 1000 galleons per acre harvests done every day or every year? If they are every day, that seems workable, but if they are every year, then this is probably not going to help much.

[Timmer1240]

I will only believe this when I see it!

[zer010]

It might actually be put to good use and power all of the aging and failing wind turbines!:lolflag:

[alphaniner]

Marshall Savage would be pleased. That man loved algae.

Note though the article said oil prices, not fuel prices. I have no idea how many gallons of fuel are produced per gallon of oil, but still, a barrel is 42 gallons so $1 per gallon would be great if the fuel output is equivalent.

[handy]

Excellent news!

The technology involved in producing algal based oil will only keep on improving.

The other great thing about growing energy this way is the benefits re. carbon/oxygen.

I'm so glad that the US has finally started getting its backside into gear re. alternative energy.

[sdowney717]

http://www.oakhavenpc.org/cultivating_algae.htm

A lot of work being done to channel coal flue gas thru algae beds which causes them to grow 3 to 4 times faster due to all the co2 fertilizer. I could imagine, coal powered plants becoming oil producers someday.

A lot of numbers are thrown around by algae oil researchers and they even say we could grow all the oil we would need someday.

100,000 gallons per acre per year if this man is right.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/04/01/algae.oil/index.html


Kertz said he can produce about 100,000 gallons of algae oil a year per acre, compared to about 30 gallons per acre from corn; 50 gallons from soybeans.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2008/TECH/science/04/01/algae.oil/art.algae.jpg

[handy]

I agree, vertical farming has certainly got a lot going for it.

[LowSky]

I agree, vertical farming has certainly got a lot going for it.

NYC is planning to try a few vertical farming.

[sdowney717]

algae farming can use marginal or desert land unsuitable for crop farming and can use seawater. Off the west coast of Africa is a lot of sunny dry desert land which could be turned into oil production. Their is a lot of potential land available for this all around the world. Australia has a large area of desert which could be used as does the US, China, many other places.

The vertical farming using bags exposes maximizes sunlight exposure and the water is conserved in the system by way of the bags.

[handy]

If you can use sea water, Oz has got enough unused desert to supply the entire planet with algal sourced oil.

It would be nice if we became the predominant algal oil source instead of the primary exporter of coal on the planet... :(

[sdowney717]

http://www.euractiv.com/en/innovation/big-oil-eyes-algae-solve-biofuel-problems/article-184479
article from 2009


Algae grows best in seawater, which comes in virtually unlimited supply, the Italian points out. And the micro-organism seems to be particularly fond of polluted seawater, which helps it grow at exponential rates.

Think of them as photobioreactors which clean up dirty water. Pollution here means nutrient rich runoff. Which normally creates dead zones due to algal blooms.

Darpa details will be more forth coming when they are producing oil in quantity. The goal for them was to be able to fuel the military without having to depend on oil from unfriendly possibly hostile nation states. The benefit for everyone is this technology will definitely be shared with the private sector as the percieved stakes are too high and even the military wants stable growing economies even in Afghanistan, which the original article has mentioned.

[Swagman]

[Conspiracy Mode ON]

Seawater huh ?

Hasn't a company just trashed that ?

I knew there had to be an ulterior motive !!

;-)

[handy]

...
The benefit for everyone is this technology will definitely be shared with the private sector as the perceived stakes are too high and even the military wants stable growing economies even in Afghanistan, which the original article has mentioned.

I agree re. the benefits being shared. I expect that the oil companies will monopolise processing & distribution as best they can. They already have the infrastructure in place at every level.

I've always dreamt of Afghanistan having acres of green coloured dams all over its mountains... :confused: (It's ok I'm just amusing my self at the mo' ;))