Meeting the world’s growing energy demand will take a large number of sources. Biofuel from algae could be a meaningful part of the solution in the future because of its potential as an economically viable, low emissions transportation fuel.
- "Algae can be grown using land and water unsuitable for plant or food production, unlike some other first- and second-generation biofuel feedstocks.
- Growing algae consume carbon dioxide; this provides greenhouse gas mitigation benefits.
- Algae used to produce biofuels are highly productive. As a result, large quantities of algae can be grown quickly, and the process of testing different strains of algae for their fuel-making potential can proceed more rapidly than for other crops with longer life cycles."
"Algae Biofuels." Algae Biofuels. Exxon Mobile, 14 July 2009. Web. 7 Dec. 2009.
As Sam has demonstrated through his algae example, there are a myriad of alternative energy options out there (some more obscure than others) which, if further researched and subsidized, could provide cleaner and more sustainable energy. The only problem? Our society is a capitalistic one. One in which the market ultimately determines the success or failure of any given energy source. Though coal and oil are painfully degrading to our environment, they are cheap and they are abundant(until they run out), and are thus favored by the market. The problem with alternative energy sources such as algae is that if research and implementation are subsidized, the vast amount of funds required would be provided with no guarantee for the energy's success. Such a risk doesn't seem to be at high priority in minds of the lawmakers, especially in today's economic downturn, but is a risk that must be taken in order to ensure future prosperity and life on Earth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sam, that the U.S. should be looking into all possibilities. At first using algae may seem a bit absurd but once you read more about it, you can start to see how there is a possibility that it could be used as a alternative fuel source. overall the U.S. needs to be looking for better renewable energy sources.
ReplyDeleteBiofuels are just a new approach to the same bad system. Biofuels still involve burning organic matter; algae based biofuels are just several million years younger than coal. Burning any kind of organic material releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. When algae biofuel claims to be “carbon neutral” that must include calculations of the carbon dioxide the algae absorbed while living. At best, biofuels are a temporary fix to our energy problems. Our society needs to move away completely from combustion-based energy production. We need to invest in solar, geothermal, and wind power, not biofuels.
ReplyDeleteBut Amy, can we truly live off of only wind power? Wind power is inefficient compared to other forms of fuel due to the large cost of building and the large space required. Algea biofuels are a step in the right direction if we go with the idea that we won't decrease, but rather increase energy consumption. Seems like the real problem is our consumption.
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