Toyota actually makes the Lexus’. So Lexus is really in the Toyota family… Yeah since day one. Toyota, Lexus and Scion are all the same company….

One of the links I provided is for a sealed system, which both prevents contamination and reduces evaporation.

The government sponsered open air tests in AZ? (iirc) failed essentially due to contamination from faster much less useful algae strains. Basically, Algae to bio-diesel has been just around the corner now for quite some time, hopefully we really turn that corner soon, but I am not holding my breath.

by Damozel | Okay, it’s not April Fool’s Day and it is the Times of London — not exactly known for its jolly japes. Oh, how I wish Cockney Robin were around to cope with this one! Apparently these scientists have genetically altered tiny carbon-bas…

Thanks for the thing on the algae though, I hadn't heard about it. Algae is definitely the only thing I can think of that would come even close to producing the amount of mass needed…especially as the oceans warm up and really we'll have dangerous amounts of it around anyway. I could definitely offshore algae farms.

GreenDreams, thanks for the great contribution.

I personally think that we can't simply replace oil with “x”. What we need to do is develop an array of alternative, renewable and non-polluting energy sources to meet our demands. In some areas that might mean those yeast tanks to meet a percentage. In other areas, the alternative sources mentioned by GreenDreams would be great. Still we can harness the power of tides, solar, wind, etc in other places.

I'm all for an energy “Manhattan Project” and even bigger… a combination of tax breaks for private R&D, government grants (and government R&D, any patents or licensing fees would help fund future R&D), etc.

Our energy security (whether actual supply, competing for scarce supplies, securing the energy infrastructure abroad and delivery routes, etc.) is just too important not to ignore. Our economy totally depends on energy and having to depend on foreign energy (or dwindling supplies) and competition just hurts the US. We also need clean energy- what good is having all the energy in the world if it destroys our environment?

(BTW kryon, the stock in Petrosun is about $0.15 a share, but I'm not buying any of it yet). Here's a good rundown on alternative energy stocks.

While this new bioengineered bacteria is interesting, we are much closer to application with biodiesel from microalgae. This does not have to be done in big fermentation tanks, and uses current technology such as that used to grow spirulina. It will yield more than 30 times the oil per acre than corn or soy and does not require clean freshwater (in fact, salt water will do, something we have plenty of). Take a look at the first facility, which will produce 4.4 million gallons of oil and 110 million lbs of biomass a year. Better still, such algae production facilities could be placed at the mouths of big polluted rivers like the Mississippi, and could convert nutrients from agricultural runoff into fuel. Currently these nutrients create an enormous “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico. Furthermore, the algae can be used to consume CO2 from power plants. Cleans up the river, sequesters carbon from polluting industries and turns it all into fuel. Oh, and the exhausted algae can be used as fertilizer after extracting the oil.

Another exciting technology in this area is a starch to hydrogen technology developed by Virginia Tech, that can convert a safe, non-toxic and nonflammable starch and water slurry into hydrogen to drive a vehicle. These are only the tip of the iceberg. We can lead in green energy and clean tech if we commit to doing so instead of bowing down to petroleum and coal interests.

We limit ourselves when we think that every problem has to be solved with current technology. This is a great failing of our current energy policies. We have shortchanged research budgets into alternatives and still, our tenacious scientists come up with new leads all the time. Meanwhile, the GOP and some of their supporters here on TMV wail that the sky will fall if we don't start drilling in Alaska today. That's not the solution. Let's turn the page on that old thinking.

Now if we cut down on cars by 50% and they all got 300 mpg (both of which I think aren't totally insane ideas) then maybe it's not such a crazy idea. By far the most important technologies over the next hundred years won't be energy generation (unless we have fusion) ones but energy reduction ones.