(SAVANNAH) Dr. John W. Bebout, a renewable energy consultant in Savannah announced today that he has partnered with Enegis LLC of Virginia and the University of Nevada at Reno to grow algae for the manufacture of biodiesel fuel.

“We are building on work done by the Department of Energy more than a decade ago to grow algae in open ponds in Nevada, “ said Bebout. “Although most researchers today are looking at bioreactors (enclosed systems which allow growing temperatures to be controlled), we believe that inexpensive, open ponds offer the only economically feasible way to grow algae in commercial quantities. Bioreactors are simply too expensive to build and maintain.”
                                             
Construction of two algae ponds at the University of Nevada, Reno will begin this summer. “The construction of these ponds represents the culmination of more than four years of research into developing a hardy variety of algae which produces more than half its weight in oil as well as developing a practical process to grow, concentrate and harvest the algae,” said Bebout.

A lot is being written about algae as the most promising source of oil for the manufacture of diesel fuel. Algae does not need to compete with food crops for land and one acre of algae can produce 50 times more oil than an acre of soy beans. However, economics are the key to success or failure, Bebout warns. “Whether we like it or not,” he said, “fossil fuels will dominate our energy portfolio for decades to come. Any alternative energy source will be measured against the cost of producing the same amount of energy from coal, oil or natural gas.”

“The potential of algae as an energy feedstock is hard to overstate,” said Bebout, “but to compete with land crops, it needs to be grown year-round. Because of climate, this presents a major hurdle throughout most of the United States.” For this reason, Bebout and his partners have chosen Nevada for its abundant geothermal resources. They will use hot geothermal water to heat the ponds for up to 9 months of the year, thus permitting year-round growth.
                                             
In addition to producing energy, algae crops can provide important benefits to rural farmers. Bebout notes that Nevada’s agricultural economy ranks 46th in the country and more than 16% of its agricultural land is being lost to development every decade. “We envision algae ponds across the entire state which will provide a much-needed money crop for Nevada’s rural farmers,” said Bebout.

When asked if algae could be commercially grown in Georgia, Bebout said he believes his variety of algae would flourish in this area and he is holding preliminary discussions with potential partners in the southeast. “The challenge in Georgia,” he said, “is finding supplementary heat to keep the ponds growing all year. Among other options, we are exploring passive solar heating and utilizing the waste heat from existing or partner industries.”

There is no single answer to the energy crisis facing the United States. Every form of alternative and renewable energy needs to play a role in obtaining energy independence. Bebout and his partners believe that algae may have one of the largest roles of all.