This New York Times story about the rush of venture capital pouring into the renewable fuels sector mentions a potential source of biofuel that was news to me: algae. Yep, the same slimy stuff that forms inside fish tanks, in ponds and even in your commuter coffee mug if you don’t wash it often enough.
Key quote: “Venture capital in energy has reached a critical mass,” said Daniel Yergin, an energy historian and consultant. “Enough is happening so that significant things will come out of this. With the same intent to do in energy what they did in biotech, they bring not only money and discipline, but they are results-oriented.”
The science of turning some of these sources into viable biofuels also will take biotech research, the story notes.
Seattle-based start-up, Prometheus Energy, also is mentioned for its ability to attract enough capital in the last three years to open a plant in California that turns methane gas into liquid natural gas.
Here’s the read, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/business/07algae.html?em&ex=1173330000&en=3f7099f74e7ef365&ei=5087%0A.
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