The Lepufology Project

Business Opportunity in the New Energy Economy : Algae and The Florida Agricultural Museum 23.02.2009

James “Gator” Fiske is a Historical Interpreter at the Florida Agricultural Museum in Palm Coast.

A work in progress, the museum is located in the most historic portion of Flagler County, bounded by Pellicer Creek, and the Princess Place Preserve, near U.S. Route 1. Its mission is to preserve Florida’s agricultural past, interpret the agricultural issues of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and educate the public about those issues through enjoyable experiences.

Recently, James sent a message mentioning that 468 acres of land are now available to anyone interested in an algae or bio-fuel venture that could be incorporated into the Museum.

As I wasn’t even aware that algae could be turned into energy, I researched the subject only to find some astonishing facts :

Algae grow rapidly and can have a high percentage of lipids, or oils. They can double their mass several times a day and produce at least 15 times more oil per acre than alternatives such as rapeseed, palms, soybeans, or jatropha. Moreover, algae-growing facilities can be built on coastal land unsuitable for conventional agriculture.

They can grow 20 to 30 times faster than food crops.

(source : Algae fuel on Wikipedia)

• Algae is the fastest growing organism/plant on the planet.
• Depending upon the type of algae, 50% of it’s body weight produces “lipids” or vegetable oil.
• Corn will only produce about 18-20 gallons of oil per acre per year.
• Palm will produce between 700-800 gallons of oil per acre per year.
• Algae will produce over 20,000 gallons of oil per acre per year – when grown in an open pond system.

(source : James’s Page on PickensPlan)

Furthermore, algae can in fact yield even more oil when extracted using this High Density Vertical Bioreactor :

Algae, like all plants, require carbon dioxide, water with nutrients and sunlight for growth. The bioreactor technology is ideal for locations adjacent to heavy producers of carbon dioxide such as coal fired power plants, refineries or manufacturing facilities, as the absorption of CO2 by the algae significantly reduces greenhouse gases.

Looks like this is indeed be a very efficient and clean energy generation method. No wonder some consider it to be the ultimate in renewable energy !

If you’re interested in such a venture, please contact James via the link above, or through the Florida Agricultural Museum Network on Ning.

You are also invited to support the Museum.