Algae on Front Lines of Search for Fossil Fuel Replacements
Andrew Schweizer
As America’s dependence on foreign oil continues to grow, investors are looking to alternative fuels to usher in a new age of energy usage.
And San Diego is emerging as a leader in the clean technology sector, with 672 companies focused on clean tech in the region.
The significant increase in activity was a highlight of an event last week kicking off the 2009 Algae Biomass Summit held in San Diego Oct. 7-9.
The event was hosted by CleanTech San Diego, a nonprofit organization focused on accelerating local leadership in the clean tech sector.
“San Diego has so many companies working on this problem that we’re establishing ourselves as a name in the clean tech sector,” said county Supervisor Ron Roberts during the opening press conference on the deck of the USS Midway. “The city has made strides to make itself more open to clean tech companies and I think we’re seeing the results.”
One solution to the search for alternative fuels highlighted during the event was algae.
La Jolla-based Sapphire Energy, a front-runner of algal-based biofuel research, is able to produce a low-carbon alternative to petroleum-based fuels such as renewable “green” gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Funded by venture capital firms Arch Venture Partners, The Wellcome Trust and Venrock, Sapphire’s research begins with determining the traits of more than 8,000 strains of algae a day. Once strains are identified that contain positive traits, they’re duplicated and left to grow.
