April 2009: Algae Bloom

This month's Greentech Innovations Report tackles the emerging algae biofuels market.

Algae cultivation and harvesting for biofuels stands as a potential answer to reduce dependence on imported oil. It once seemed a far-fetched idea, but the science is developing, the investment community is interested, and major oil producers like Shell Oil and major fuel consumers like Virgin Air have established joint ventures to move the technology forward.

As with most new energy technologies - even if the science is real - the core questions are:

• Can this technology scale to the billions of gallons needed to make a contribution to our liquid fuels usage?
• Can biofuels from algae compete on price with fossil-derived petroleum?

We try to provide answers to these questions and suggest strategies for moving forward.

This info draws upon extensive investigations by our research team and interviews with the leaders in this field.

Purchase the report for more tables and charts, including:

• A Listing and Profile of More Than 50 Players in the Algae Biofuel Ecosystem
• A Comparison of Various Growth Techniques – Open Pond vs. Closed Pond vs. Photo Bioreactor Systems (PBRs)
• A Comparison of Algae Harvesting Methods
• Breakdown of Costs to Produce Algae Oil
• 2008 VC Investment in Algae Biofuel Firms

Greentech Investment Data in the April 2009 Issue:

• VC Investment Totals by Sector for Q1 2009
• New Greentech M&A
• New Venture Capital and PE Funds dedicated to Greentech
• Biofuels and Gasification
• Energy Storage
• Solar
• Automotive and Transportation
• Water
• Green Buildings
• Wind Power and Ocean Power
• Environmental Tech
• Carbon Markets
• Green Agriculture