Comments on: San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Plans Bio-Refinery in New Mexico as ‘Algaeus’ Begins Promotional Cross-Country Tour http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/09/08/san-diego%e2%80%99s-sapphire-energy-plans-bio-refinery-in-new-mexico-as-%e2%80%98algaeus%e2%80%99-begins-promotional-cross-country-tour/ Business + Technology in the Exponential Economy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 09:14:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: energy guy http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/09/08/san-diego%e2%80%99s-sapphire-energy-plans-bio-refinery-in-new-mexico-as-%e2%80%98algaeus%e2%80%99-begins-promotional-cross-country-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-86573 energy guy Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:20:34 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=40658#comment-86573 No bio refinery is coming from Sapphire... These guys are lying through their teeth... They will just take VC investers for a ride and have a jolly good time.... They can not grow algae in their ponds... have not made oil out of their algae.... All lies No bio refinery is coming from Sapphire…

These guys are lying through their teeth…

They will just take VC investers for a ride and have a jolly good time….

They can not grow algae in their ponds… have not made oil out of their algae….

All lies

]]> By: Algaeus lives! A modified Prius goes cross-country on fuel from algae | Innovation Toronto http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/09/08/san-diego%e2%80%99s-sapphire-energy-plans-bio-refinery-in-new-mexico-as-%e2%80%98algaeus%e2%80%99-begins-promotional-cross-country-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-83255 Algaeus lives! A modified Prius goes cross-country on fuel from algae | Innovation Toronto Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:05:43 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=40658#comment-83255 [...] San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Plans Bio-Refinery in New Mexico as ‘Algaeus’ Begins P... (xconomy.com) [...] [...] San Diego’s Sapphire Energy Plans Bio-Refinery in New Mexico as ‘Algaeus’ Begins P… (xconomy.com) [...]

]]> By: Bruce V. Bigelow http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/09/08/san-diego%e2%80%99s-sapphire-energy-plans-bio-refinery-in-new-mexico-as-%e2%80%98algaeus%e2%80%99-begins-promotional-cross-country-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-80699 Bruce V. Bigelow Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:28:31 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=40658#comment-80699 Thanks for your thoughtful comments Jake. The industry seems to be divided in this "open pond vs. bioreactor" debate. The downside to bioreactors, as I understand it, is the same problem I had with my aquarium when I was a kid. You have to regularly clean the inside glass or plexiglas. Thanks for your thoughtful comments Jake. The industry seems to be divided in this “open pond vs. bioreactor” debate. The downside to bioreactors, as I understand it, is the same problem I had with my aquarium when I was a kid. You have to regularly clean the inside glass or plexiglas.

]]> By: Jake http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/09/08/san-diego%e2%80%99s-sapphire-energy-plans-bio-refinery-in-new-mexico-as-%e2%80%98algaeus%e2%80%99-begins-promotional-cross-country-tour/comment-page-1/#comment-80697 Jake Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:21:56 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=40658#comment-80697 I love the idea of using algae, but an article like this points out the problem that start-ups have in moving to serious production scale. Namely, that making biofuels with algae will never be as predictable as refining a barrel of oil. Small deviations in temperature or light could really change the behavior of the cells, so cheap outdoor ponds may never be the answer, and if you have to build really predictable and dependable bioreactors to make your system steady and stable it may never be cost effective. I hope I'm wrong, but algae-based energy has some serious hurdles to clear. With that said, big oil is the perfect place to get the huge-scale engineering done. I love the idea of using algae, but an article like this points out the problem that start-ups have in moving to serious production scale. Namely, that making biofuels with algae will never be as predictable as refining a barrel of oil. Small deviations in temperature or light could really change the behavior of the cells, so cheap outdoor ponds may never be the answer, and if you have to build really predictable and dependable bioreactors to make your system steady and stable it may never be cost effective. I hope I’m wrong, but algae-based energy has some serious hurdles to clear. With that said, big oil is the perfect place to get the huge-scale engineering done.

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