Comments on: ‘Restraint’ an Unspoken Watchword of Algae Biomass Sessions http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/ Business + Technology in the Exponential Economy Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:54:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: anonymous http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/comment-page-1/#comment-93080 anonymous Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:55:45 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=45189#comment-93080 This bugs us too! This need to be investigated immediately. Millions of dollars of grant monies are going for research but ZERO is going for production. Heard from reliable sources some of the same algae researchers and other organizations that have received grants for research have set up their own "private algae companies". Looks like universities and other organizations are using government grants to start their own businesses. Again, Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil, or do we want to continue algae research? This bugs us too! This need to be investigated immediately. Millions of dollars of grant monies are going for research but ZERO is going for production.

Heard from reliable sources some of the same algae researchers and other organizations that have received grants for research have set up their own “private algae companies”. Looks like universities and other organizations are using government grants to start their own businesses.

Again, Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil, or do we want to continue algae research?

]]> By: J http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/comment-page-1/#comment-93072 J Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:21:26 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=45189#comment-93072 This really bugs me. This really bugs me.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/comment-page-1/#comment-89947 anonymous Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:01:21 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=45189#comment-89947 The US has spent over $2.5 billion on grants for algae research and nothing has been commercialized to date. How much more money is going to be spent on algae research? Stop with the research and start producing. The US has spent over $2.5 billion on grants for algae research and nothing has been commercialized to date. How much more money is going to be spent on algae research?

Stop with the research and start producing.

]]> By: Curt Fischer http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/comment-page-1/#comment-86706 Curt Fischer Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:33:22 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=45189#comment-86706 1. I strongly disagree with anonymous above. The Aquatic Species Program was long-standing algal research funding program, and was run by the DoE from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Aquatic Species Program Closeout Report is cited in nearly every algae-based presentation or cost analysis I see. I don't do and have never done research in the area of algal biofuels, but nonentheless in my mind the ASP is one of the best examples of government-funded research done right. 2. The statement "we can grow, harvest and extract algae today with all “off-the-shelf” proven technology" was as true 30 years ago as it is today. Since "off-the-shelf" algae processing technologies existed 30 years ago, one must ask why they have not and are not currently used for commercial fuels production. What matters, as with most commodities, is the cost of the technology, not just whether it exists. One answer to the question "Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil?" is "not if it means that gasoline will cost $10 per gallon". Until researchers, whether industrially or governmentally-funded, develop better methods for separating algae from water and for boosting *volumetric* productivities and titers of algal biomass, the prospects for algae-derived fuels competitive in today's market are very dim. 1. I strongly disagree with anonymous above. The Aquatic Species Program was long-standing algal research funding program, and was run by the DoE from the 1970s to the 1990s. The Aquatic Species Program Closeout Report is cited in nearly every algae-based presentation or cost analysis I see.

I don’t do and have never done research in the area of algal biofuels, but nonentheless in my mind the ASP is one of the best examples of government-funded research done right.

2. The statement “we can grow, harvest and extract algae today with all “off-the-shelf” proven technology” was as true 30 years ago as it is today. Since “off-the-shelf” algae processing technologies existed 30 years ago, one must ask why they have not and are not currently used for commercial fuels production. What matters, as with most commodities, is the cost of the technology, not just whether it exists.

One answer to the question “Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil?” is “not if it means that gasoline will cost $10 per gallon”. Until researchers, whether industrially or governmentally-funded, develop better methods for separating algae from water and for boosting *volumetric* productivities and titers of algal biomass, the prospects for algae-derived fuels competitive in today’s market are very dim.

]]> By: anonymous http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/10/08/%e2%80%98restraint%e2%80%99-an-unspoken-watchword-of-algae-biomass-sessions/comment-page-1/#comment-86497 anonymous Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:50:25 +0000 http://www.xconomy.com/?p=45189#comment-86497 We have spent over $2.2 billion dollars on algae research for the last 35 years and nothing to show for it. Algae has been researched to death at universities for the last 50 years in the US. The problem is as long as the algae researchers can say we are 3-5 years away, its too expensive and they need more research they get the grant money. Nothing will ever get commercialized at the university level. There are commercial algae plants being built today with private money without any federal money and federal grants. The question you need to be asking is " Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil or do we want to continue to fund the algae researchers at the universities." The problem is we can grow, harvest and extract algae today with all "off-the-shelf" proven technology. We no not need genetic modification at all when there are existing algae strains currently on the market with 30-60% oil content. We need monies going into algae oil production and stop wasting money on research. Algae researchers are incapable of commercializing anything! We have spent over $2.2 billion dollars on algae research for the last 35 years and nothing to show for it. Algae has been researched to death at universities for the last 50 years in the US. The problem is as long as the algae researchers can say we are 3-5 years away, its too expensive and they need more research they get the grant money. Nothing will ever get commercialized at the university level.

There are commercial algae plants being built today with private money without any federal money and federal grants. The question you need to be asking is ” Does the US really want to get off of foreign oil or do we want to continue to fund the algae researchers at the universities.” The problem is we can grow, harvest and extract algae today with all “off-the-shelf” proven technology. We no not need genetic modification at all when there are existing algae strains currently on the market with 30-60% oil content.

We need monies going into algae oil production and stop wasting money on research. Algae researchers are incapable of commercializing anything!

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