All of today's "alternative" energy sources are very underdeveloped or overly expensive. Research has definitely fallen behind and needs to catch up. Economically, a massive research grant on developing all of the different types of possible energy sources would be astronomical. By focusing on one source, there is a possibility of making progress in the field. As of late, President Obama stated that he would like see a cut of the U.S.'s CO2 emissions by 80% by the year 2050. This will be almost impossible
Algae biodiesel seems to be the best choice. There is an excitement around this extremely new technology that seems to be boosting its appeal. This source of energy can be used all over the country as a way to start reversing our carbon footprint. The versatility of algae's growing conditions makes it suitable for almost any weather conditions as long as there is water and CO2. Have I mentioned that the production of fuel from this plant is CO2 negative? Because yes, it is. Algae, unlike other crops in the past that needed fertilizers that are heavy in other chemicals, uses CO2 as a fertilizer. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, one gallon of gasoline produces 19.4 pounds of CO2 and one gallon of diesel produces 22.2 pounds of CO2, which doesn't even include the amount of CO2 from production! Comparing that to algae biofuel, which is carbon neutral, the algae is obviously the better choice. That factor alone makes algae appealing not only to the small town green enthusiasts but a major influence on all of the frugal big-wigs down in Washington.
Another one of the many problems that algal oil solves is land use. According to a recent article on the Green Chip Stocks website, only 0.2%, or 15,000 square miles, of the United States land would be needed for the cultivation of enough algae to fuel all of America's transportation needs. Compared to the run of the mill corn ethanol nearly 97% of the country would be needed to grow enough corn to fuel each automobile in the U.S.!
One of the positive aspects about algae biofuels is that the technology is already here. No large scale research and development firm is needed. The only problem is that companies and officials need that extra push in the right direction to get started. Convincing companies to convert to coal or another fossil fuel might be a challenge. With the economy in the shape that it is now, any spare penny is most likely not going to be used to convert a power plant from coal to algae. It will be a slow process but if the right benefits are offered then company executives could have a change of heart. Say you offer a coal energy plant some tax benefits because they have started the integration of algae into there energy system. For the company, it means reducing their overall CO2 emissions while keeping there energy output the same. Next question, where is the government going to get this money to pay these tax benefits? Well, raising taxes to the companies that don't convert is always a good plan, but if Congress can find a way to bail out the banks and the auto-industry they can scrounge for a few billion to better the country's environmental outlook, right?
When the end of Obama's first term is said and done, and his speech writer is looking for something to beef up the President's achievements in the last four years, he could always say he reformed health care or "fixed" the economy, but wouldn't it be nice to say that he started the change that brought the end of oil and coal empire.
Jacklyn Briguglio
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