ANTHONY, Texas (CNN)
-- Texas may be best known for "Big Oil." But the oil that could some
day make a dent in the country's use of fossil fuels is small.
Microscopic, in fact: algae. Literally and figuratively, this is green
fuel.






























































































































































Plant physiologist Glen Kertz believes algae can some day be
competitive as a source for biofuel.1 of 3












"Algae is the
ultimate in renewable energy," Glen Kertz, president and CEO of Valcent
Products, told CNN while conducting a tour of his algae greenhouse on
the outskirts of El Paso. Kertz, a plant physiologist and
entrepreneur, holds about 20 patents. And he is psyched about the
potential algae holds, both as an energy source and as a way to deal
with global warming. "We are a giant solar collecting system. We get the bulk of
our energy from the sunshine," said Kertz.
Algae are among the fastest growing plants in the world, and about 50
percent of their weight is oil. That lipid oil can be used to make
biodiesel for cars, trucks, and airplanes. Watch how pond scum can be turned
into fuel » Most people know algae as "pond scum." And until recently, most
energy research and development projects used ponds to grow it.
But instead of ponds, Valcent uses a closed, vertical system, growing
the algae in long rows of moving plastic bags. The patented system is
called Vertigro, a joint venture with Canadian alternative energy
company Global Green Solutions. The companies have invested about $5
million in the Texas facility. "A pond has a limited amount of surface area for
solar absorption," said Kertz.






















































































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"By going vertical, you can get a lot more surface area to expose cells
to the sunlight. It keeps the algae hanging in the sunlight just long
enough to pick up the solar energy they need to produce, to go through
photosynthesis, " he said. Kertz said he can produce about
100,000 gallons of algae oil a year per acre, compared to about 30
gallons per acre from corn; 50 gallons from soybeans. Using algae as an
alternative fuel
is not a new idea. The U.S. Department of Energy studied it for about
18 years, from 1978 to 1996. But according to Al Darzins of the DOE's
National Renewable Energy Lab, in 1996 the feds decided that algae oil
could never compete economically with fossil fuels. The price of a barrel of oil
in 1996? About 20 bucks! Government scientists experimented with algae in open
ponds in California, Hawaii, and in Roswell, New Mexico.
But that involved a lot of land area, with inherent problems of
evaporation and contamination from other plant species and various
flying and swimming critters. Darzins said NREL switched from algae
research to focus on cellulosic ethanol. That's ethanol made from
plants like switchgrass and plant stover -- the leaves and stalks left
after a harvest -- but not edible crops such as corn and soybeans.
Valcent research scientist Aga Pinowska said there are about 65,000
known algae species, with perhaps hundreds of thousands more still to
be identified. A big part of the research at the west Texas
facility involves determining what type of algae produces what type of
fuel. One species may be best suited for jet fuel, while the oil
content of another may be more efficient for truck diesel. In
the Vertigro lab, Pinowska studies the care and feeding of algae for
just such specifics. She said even small changes in the nutrients that
certain algae get can help create a more efficient oil content. And she said a
knowledge of algae's virtues goes way back. "Even the Aztecs knew it was
beneficial; they used it as a high protein food," said Pinowska. The other
common commercial use of algae today is as a health food drink, usually sold as
"Spirulina." I'm too sexy for my pond
And who knew that single celled plants could be such "hotties" when it
comes to sex? Kertz said it's a real "algae orgy" under the microscope.
Some algae reproduce sexually, some asexually, while many combine both
modes. In some green algae the type of reproduction may be altered if
there are changes in environmental conditions, such as lack of moisture
or nutrients. Intriguing details like that keep Kertz and other
scientists searching for more and different algae. While dusty west
Texas may not be the best hunting grounds, he said he is always on the
lookout for samples in puddles, streams or ponds. Locating algae
processing plants intelligently can add to their efficiency. Locating
algae facilities next to carbon producing power plants, or
manufacturing plants, for instance, the plants could sequester the C02
they create and use those emissions to help grow the algae, which need
the C02 for photosynthesis. And after more than a decade hiatus,
the U.S. government is back in the algae game. The 2007 Energy Security
and Independence Act includes language promoting the use of algae for
biofuels. From the Pentagon to Minnesota to New Zealand, both
governments and private companies are exploring the use of algae to
produce fuel.












But Al Darzins of the National
Renewable Energy Lab said the world is still probably 5 to 10 years
away from any substantial use of biofuels. "There's not any one system that
anyone has chosen yet. Whatever it is has to be dirt, dirt cheap," said Darzins.




























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