Will Dallas Electricity be Powered by Algea?
Even the casual observer can see that the price of gas may well bounce up and down but over time will continue to move higher as fossil fuel reserves diminish. This makes the development of alternative fuel products an economic necessity going forward. Countless wars have occurred because of the political and economic tensions fueled by our need to have access to the oil that powers our energy needs. Fortunately in recent years funding from governments, universities and forward thinking power companies has led to breakthroughs in energy technologies that will result in the implementation of far more efficient, environmentally friendly and less costly means of powering our electricity demands. Probably the most intriguing possible new energy sources comes in the form of algae. Algae is endlessly renewable and may be grown in essentially endless quantities.
Up to 50% in the biomass of algae consists of material that may be converted to bio-diesel which is a clean and efficient supply of fuel. Not like oil, algae are renewable and ubiquitous. Algae grow almost any spot on earth. Oil doesn’t get replenished. Algae can be grown anyplace that has access to carbon dioxide, water and, of course, sunlight. It is pond scum, the most prominent of all the varieties of algae that is most effectively suited to develop biodiesel. Leftover material from the approach of converting algae to biodiesel might be recycled into fertilizer or animal feedstock. This creates extremely small waste from the entire method and, in fact, positively impacts the food supply unlike other crop-based fuels.
Big energy as well as agricultural organizations around the globe are beginning to see the possible windfall that algae may represent in the area of energy production. In fact, currently private sector research is taking place on a larger scale than government or university funded research. Many renewable energy experts feel that research into algae as a source for biofuel is not being given enough attention and enough public funds. They feel that this is a tremendous opportunity to begin to break our dependence on fossil fuel energy sources. Many people really feel passionately that algae may be the key to changing our energy mix away from fossil fuel and that algae could create most of our electrical energy and fuel our vehicles if only more funding and effort were put into the analysis required to perfect the technologies for processing algae into fuel. Despite the large amount of interest from the private energy sector compared to the public sector skeptics maintained that oil companies will not easily allow oil to be usurped as the energy source of choice for the world electricity grids and transportation needs.
As oil supply continues its inevitable steady decline oil companies will be able to realized ever increasing profits from their product. Oil companies are well-positioned to make unprecedented amounts of profit from this endgame in oil as they can realize much higher margins from turning over less product. The fossil fuel revolution has facilitated a period of unprecedented prosperity for mankind. But it has not come without a price. Because algae can be grown in every corner of the globe it has the potential to be a great equalizer when it comes to the geopolitical implications of energy. Wealth currently being funneled into the ever-increasing coffers of oil-rich nations would instead be retained by local economies creating local jobs and opportunities where previously none existed. This could be a free market based counterbalance to the growing wealth gap that is increasing becoming a source of tension in both developed and undeveloped nations.
Using algae as biodiesel would have positive benefits for everyone.