Newswise — Cars, trucks, and airplanes all depend on fossil fuels to spirit us around the globe. But growing concerns about human-induced climate change and the depletion of fossil fuel resources have spurred academic and corporate research groups alike to pursue alternative fuels. A group of researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in Golden, Colo., has concluded that algae might well be the most promising replacement for our old standbys.
Algae, it turns out, have some unusual and intriguing properties: These microorganisms are rich with oil, can grow swiftly, and can occupy bodies of water and land unsuitable for other kinds of production--meaning that they don't compete with agriculture. The NREL researchers spell out the case for algal biofuels and why now, finally, both start-ups and large energy companies are throwing their weight behind algae.
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