The City of Houston and Reliant Energy are launching a program to bring plug-in hybrid electric vehicles to the streets of Houston, to demonstrate the important role that electric cars can play in the city’s clean energy future.

Under the program, called the “Power of the Plug-In,” 10 city-owned Toyota Prius cars will be converted to plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and 10 vehicle-charging stations will be installed to power them. The Power of the Plug-In is designed to raise consumer awareness and education about plug-in electric cars and to promote Houston and Texas as an electric vehicle center. Seven of the 10 stations will be available to the public, representing the largest public charging infrastructure in Texas, the city said.

“We’re committed to making Houston the nation’s green energy capital,” Houston Mayor Bill White said in a statement. “That commitment begins at City Hall and these clean-running electric cars and the charging stations that will be available to all Houstonians will get us farther down that road.”

The 10 Reliant-provided charging stations will be located around Houston, with public stations at City Hall, the Health Department office at 8000 Stadium Drive and at the Mayor’s Citizens Assistance Office at 9615 Rustic Wood in Kingwood. Reliant chose Campbell, Calif.-based Coulomb Technologies, Inc. to provide its ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations. Coulomb is a leader in networked electric vehicle charging infrastructure and its network will enable the city to administer consumer access to the public stations.

The 2009 Toyota Prius hybrids that will be converted are already used extensively by the city. The plug-in conversion module is the Hymotion L5 provided by A123 Systems, a leader in development of lithium-ion batteries for use in electric cars.

The converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles can deliver up to 100 miles per gallon, helping to improve air quality and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Studies show plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with a 20-mile electric driving range can reduce vehicle carbon dioxide emissions by up to two thirds depending on the generation source for the vehicle’s electricity when compared with traditional gasoline-powered vehicles.

“We envision thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of electric cars on our roads in the coming years, making Houston’s air cleaner and the city greener,” Reliant Energy President Jason Few said in a statement. “Our pilot project gives both Reliant and the City of Houston the opportunity to learn more about the performance of electric vehicles and the needs of drivers while promoting consumer awareness and education about plug-in electric cars. Reliant is committed to making Houston and Texas the electric vehicle capital of the United States. We think big in Texas and we have big plans.”

Electric vehicles also provide long-term affordability, city officials said. While electric cars generally cost more to purchase, largely due to the high cost of lithium-ion batteries, the vehicles do not require typical engine maintenance, such as oil changes. Electric vehicles are also less expensive to operate because electricity costs less on a per-mile basis than gasoline.

Last week, Reliant and Nissan announced they have reached an agreement to work together to make Houston a launch city for the broader use of electric vehicles by the American public, businesses and public organizations.

The companies said they will advocate for policies that make it easy for consumers to make the switch from gasoline to electric-powered vehicles and will work together to establish the infrastructure of charging stations needed to support a critical mass of electric vehicles.

Farm Power, a Washington-based renewable energy company, and Washington utility company Puget Sound Energy (PSE) are giving new meaning to making something new out of something old. Farm Power says it has developed a “manure digester” –  a system that turns cow manure into electricity — in Skagit County, Wash.

The manure digester captures the methane biogas from the waste, and holds it in an air tight tank, which then heats the manure to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The harvested methane becomes an alternative fuel and is sold to PSE. The leftover processed manure is then taken to other farms and used as an organic fertilizer.

This process prevents methane from being released into the atmosphere. Not only is there a reduction in greenhouse gases, Farm Power says the manure digester limits nitrate runoff, a problem common with dairy farm waste.

“Our environment, and our tradition of family farming in the Skagit Valley, both demand new ways of solving old problems,” said Kevin Maas, cofounder of Farm Power, in a statement. “Our Rexville dairy digester is the result of many state, community and business leaders coming together to help turn our vision of a renewable energy facility into a new source of opportunities for Skagit County farmers.”

To help make the process more affordable, Farm Power has developed regional digesters that multiple farms can access. The Skagit County digester uses manure from two farms, Beaver Marsh Farms and Harmony Dairy. The energy output from the manure at these two farms is 750 kilowatts of electricity, enough to power 500 homes.

While cow manure is the main component, other agricultural waste is being used as well including: spoiled fruit, chess whey and parts from chicken processing.

PSE has a voluntary Green Power Program that allows customers to buy renewable energy equal to the amount of the electricity they use. This gives people the ability to support local renewable energy projects. PSE says 24,000 customers are currently participating in the Green Power Program.

Not only is Farm Power creating clean energy to benefit the community, it also is providing new green jobs to benefit the local economy.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Ocean waves near Freeport, Texas (Photo: National Weather Service)

Ocean waves off the coast of Texas may soon provide the first commercial wave power in the US to generate electricity and desalinate water.

Renew Blue Inc. said today that the Texas General Land Office has granted it the first-ever state off-shore wave energy lease. The company said it will use ocean water and waves to produce desalinated water; the first 100 percent fossil-fuel-free bottled water.

Renew Blue, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minneapolis-based Independent Natural Resources Inc., is the first licensing entity of SEADOG Pump, a technology that uses ocean waves to generate electricity. The company plans to operate in the Gulf of Mexico near Freeport, Texas, to produce 3,000 gallons a day of desalinated water and will bottle and distribute it under the brand Renew Blue.

This will be a small demonstration of what SEADOG Pump technology can do in providing electricity and clean water to regions all over the world that lack fresh water and energy but have an abundance of ocean waves along their coastline.

“Texas is proud to be the initial site of this wave-powered energy innovation,” Rene Truan, deputy commissioner for professional services at the Texas General Land Office, said in a statement. “Renewable energy production on the Texas coast means renewable revenue for the school children of Texas. The SEADOG Pump is another great example of the exciting opportunities that exist and that the Texas General Land Office is working hard to take advantage of.”

Renew Blue will place an off-shore modular platform about one mile off the coast of Freeport, in roughly 25 feet of water. The company said it expects the platform, which is currently being manufactured outside of Houston, to be installed in the fourth quarter of 2009 or the first quarter of 2010.

Independent Natural Resources Inc. said it sees major advantages in the SEADOG Pump system, which is powered solely by the wave energy it harnesses. The company says electric power accounts for 40 to 50 percent of the operating costs in the desalination process, meaning the new pump system should provide significant cost savings and minimal environmental impact compared to the large-scale use of power generated by fossil fuels.

“For the past seven years the SEADOG has been fine-tuned to produce this major accomplishment as the first commercial wave power generation in the US,” Mark A. Thomas, CEO of INRI, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to showcase the SEADOG to the world as an innovative yet simple technology illustrating the ability to extract wave energy at low cost, with high levels of efficiency resulting in immeasurable benefit to humankind.”

Coulomb Technologies, Inc., the creator of ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations, said it will take its electric vehicle charging stations to Norway. Europe is already familiar with ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations, with locations in Holland, Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic.

“The Scandinavian countries are quite progressive about clean air projects.  The Kyoto protocol has some impact as these countries are serious about rolling back emissions.  Norway is a proud leader in the EV world because of their company Think Global, which developed one of the premier and early electric vehicles,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies, Inc.

ChargePoint stations are controlled by the ChargePoint Networked Operating System. This software connects all the charging stations to a system that allows for remote station monitoring. The software manages station access, gives current station availability, and supports station maintenance. Customers have online access to multiple tools such as usage reports and charging station behavior.

With their ChargePoint Smart Card, customers can charge their vehicles at any ChargePoint station worldwide. Customers receive a text message when their car is fully charged. The payment process is easy; the stations simply process the driver’s subscription.

The charging stations are compatible with all Electric Vehicles and even Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles.

While there are some ChargePoint Charging Stations in the United States, the company is planning on that number rising soon. “We think that by 2015, Europe and the US will each need 2 million charging stations,” said Richard Lowenthal.

As far as pricing goes, electricity is cheaper than gasoline depending on your location. “In California gasoline is now about 14 cents a mile (23 mpg average and $3.10 for a gallon of gas) and our pricing is around 5 cents a mile for charging at our stations,” said Lowenthal.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

We’re used to windy debates in Washington. Now the debates about wind have blown in gale force.

It’s been a while coming. At first, wind power seemed hard to argue against. It is emissions-free, technologically proven, shovel-ready, local and works well on the gusty plains of the US – with one key roadblock, there are some kinks to work out in getting it from there to here on the unprepared national grid system. The plan for many was straightforward: Fix the grid, keep building turbines, replace fossil-fuel dependent energy with renewal wind, and keep adding to an already robust wind sector job force of some 80,000.

Texas wind turbines (Photo: Texas State Energy Conservation Office.)

The Department of Energy jumped on board the trend toward wind, announcing in 2008 that wind energy could supply 20 percent of US electricity needs by 2030.

Then the naysayers caught up. This month, a conservative group called the Institute for Energy Research (IER) presented a study of wind in Denmark that suggested that Danish wind generation, held up as a model of renewable energy, causes more problems than it solves.

The study, Wind Energy, The Case of Denmark, reported that:

• Denmark only supplies about 5 percent of its electricity needs with wind power – not 20 percent as is widely understood.

• Ebbs in wind power mean that Denmark has to network with neighboring countries to import power, which means its wind power system does not reduce carbon emissions.

• National subsidies make Danish electricity “the most expensive in the European Union” and its wind jobs have been so generously supported by government subsidies that they haven’t substantially contributed to the economy.

Wait a minute, cried the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Sensing that oil-interests were lurking behind what it saw as a collection of “misleading” and “outright false claims,” the AWEA released a counter report.

The non-profit advocacy group’s response, outlined in a fact sheet called Wind Power in Denmark and the U.S., reports that Denmark does indeed:

• Produce 20 percent of its electricity needs from wind power. In 2008, it produced nearly 3,200 megawatts of wind power, enough to power roughly 1 million US homes. (“How does the IER twist these numbers to claim that Denmark only produces 5 percent of its electricity from wind?” asks the AWEA blog. “By not counting any electricity that ever flows across the country’s borders, even if  an equal amount of electricity is then transferred back to Denmark.”

• Wind power generated in Denmark does reduce carbon emissions, because it “displaces the most expensive fuel source, commonly natural gas, but also coal and oil. Wind energy can also be used to reduce the output at hydroelectric dams, where water can be stored to later displace fossil fuels.”

• The Danish wind power industry employs nearly 30,000 people in the Scandinavian nation because Denmark also builds turbines and their components.

Government subsidies, the report adds, are not exclusive to the wind industry. In the US, subsidies support an array of energy programs and power utilities, and from 2002 to 2007, the fossil fuel energy sources received five times what renewable energy source did, according to the GAO.

The AWEA, not wanting to leave any pillar of the IER report standing, also pointed out (in its blog) that the price of Danish electricity grew in the 1980s, before the country developed its extensive network of wind turbines.

The IER report appealed to fears that new electricity generation will raise rates.

But, as the AWEA and others advocating wind note, the US has relied mainly on fossil fuels for decades. That infrastructure is in place and to many, it looks more affordable — until one factors in the potential spike in fossil fuels as the Earth’s reserves are depleted.

The AWEA is concerned that entrenched interests in the US could cause the nation to miss an important turn in the road toward sustainable energy generation.

With its great land mass, strong wind potential (it enjoys more land with higher average wind speeds than the European nations who are ahead in wind development), the US could seize the day in wind technology.

The advocacy group wants the companies it represents to be free to develop the wind farms and grid infrastructure that can carry wind power from the high plains to the urban centers where it is most needed.

The wind industry “represents a once-in-a generation opportunity for the U.S. job market as the global wind industry builds out its supply chain and decides where to locate factories,” notes the AWEA report.

Want to read more about the oil-connected sources behind the opposition to wind? See this Natural Resources Defense Council blog and this article from Facing South, the online magazine for the Institute for Southern Studies.

For a non-partisan look at the history and potential of wind power, see the WorldWatch Institute’s recent report Going to Work for Wind Power.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Terrabon LLC, a Houston company that’s been investigating making fuel from waste for more than a decade, announced this week that waste collection giant Waste Management of Houston will become an investment partner.

WM, along with existing investment partner Valero Energy Corporation, hopes to make Terrabon’s vision of producing gasoline from waste a viable green alternative fuel within about two years.

Terrabon, unlike ethanol producers, will make its fuel from sewage, human solid waste and organic food garbage, not food stock. And it’s output will be a virtual chemical match (but at a higher octane) for the stuff that’s already powering your car or truck, not a gasoline additive. This key difference means that the Terrabon fuel can be added directly to the existing gasoline fuel stream, a convenience that the company is promoting as an easy, green way to reduce US reliance on foreign oil.

This process, which Terrabon calls MixAlco could displace some yet undetermined percentage of crude oil in gasoline without any special infrastructure, once it’s distilled from the sewage or organic waste that serves as its “feedstock” or base material. Or so the plan goes.

The company has been developing this proprietary technology by supporting research led by chemical engineering professor Dr. Mark T. Holtzapple at Texas A&M University since the 1990s. It hopes to have a fermentation facility up and running at Port Arthur in 2011.

We asked Terrabon CFO Malcolm F. McNeill to explain the firm’s unique process:

Q: Can you elaborate on the chemical process you’re using?

A: The process begins with biomass. We’ll take municipal solid waste and we’ll treat it, break down the lignin. That exposes the cellulose and then we ferment it anaerobically.

Q: How long does that take?

A: There’s a “pile method” – like a compost pile in an enclosed anaerobic environment. That can take a month to six weeks (to ferment). The other method is “submerged fermentation.” We’re building a facility in Port Arthur for that. And that takes just a few weeks. It’s (the solid waste) submerged in water with inoculants.

Q: What is the next step?

A: The fermentation creates these organic salts which are loaded with carbon and hydrogen…We process them into ketones and then put them into a gasoline reactor. We apply heat, and that breaks ketones down into gasoline molecules.

Q: It sounds like that could go right into a gasoline engine?

A: It could, but we don’t. Our idea is to put it into the refiner’s stream….So it’s blended with gasoline that’s produced from oil…

Q: At what proportion?

A: The proportion is still pretty low. We’ll add to a refinery that’s producing millions of gallons (of gasoline) a day and we may add 10,000 gallons a day to that. (Or more: A 220-ton per day facility would produce 5.5 million gallons per year, assuming a 245 day/year work schedule, that would equate to roughly 16,000 gallons per day of input to the gasoline stream.)

The point is, it does reduce our dependence on foreign oil and it’s much cleaner than petroleum gasoline.

Q: It sounds like it’s quite green and sustainable?

A: We’ve found a 180 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions – if you look at the whole process…

Q: You mean compared to the carbon footprint of pulling crude oil from the earth, shipping it here and refining it?

A: Yes, comparing that to our process of collecting waste and processing it. Blue Source Canada, which does carbon assessments for companies, did the evaluation…

Q: And there seems to be a synergy here with the waste company being in Houston and the gasoline partner (Valero) in San Antonio.

A: Yes, we can create the organic salts by creating a facility close to where there’s a waste collection area. The other benefit is that (this process) requires very little adjustment of existing infrastructure. We can easily ship the salts to a blending station or refinery.

Q: So there are more options for mixing it with the gasoline; that can be done regionally?

A: Yes.

Q: And this investment from Waste Management must be a critical piece in moving forward?

A: There’s a serious framework in place now to collect the feedstock that we need and to deliver the resulting product in to the marketplace. Valero is the key to that side of the operation and Waste management is key to delivering the feedstock.

A Waste Management spokesman said the new partnership will help its company meet sustainability goals of doubling its renewable energy production and investing in emerging technologies that put waste to use.

Terrabon also produces gasoline from sorghum biomass at a biofuels research facility in Bryan, Texas, near A&M.

The U.S. Postal Service announced it will replace 6,500 vehicles with 1,000 E-85 ethanol-capable and 900 gasoline/electric hybrid vehicles to its delivery fleet. The rest of the new fleet purchase will be fuel-efficient, four-cylinder vehicles, which will replace aging vehicles at postal offices and facilities across the country as the Postal Service continues to reduce the size of its fleet..

At nearly 220,000, the Postal Service operates and maintains the largest civilian fleet in the country. The 1,900 vehicles, paid for by the U.S. General Services Administration, will bring the total number of alternate fuel-capable vehicles in the Postal Service fleet to more than 43,000.

“With our fleet traveling more than 1.2 billion miles a year, the Postal Service consistently looks for ways to reduce the environmental footprint that results from visiting every home and business in America six days a week,” Sam Pulcrano, vice president of Sustainability, said in a statement. “The GSA fleet upgrade program will help us continue these strategies.”

The Postal Service has increased alternative fuel use by 41 percent since 2006, and plans to reduce petroleum use by 20 percent over the next five years. Replacing aging vehicles with more fuel-efficient and alternative fuel-capable vehicles is key to reaching that goal.

Restaurants looking to green their operations by generating some of their own electrical power are finding it easier as vendor companies try to fill in the gaps.

Owl Power Company, for instance, has developed a way for restaurants to more conveniently use vegetable oil as fuel. Owl’s Vegawatt is a combined heating and power system that runs on vegetable oil and can be connected to existing heating and power systems to be used as supplemental green energy.

Founded by James Peret, President and CEO of Owl Power Company, Vegawatt was first introduced last December at Finz Seafood & Grill in Dedham, Massachusetts.

Here’s how it works: A restaurant deposits vegetable oil waste into the unit and Vegawatt goes to work using a four-step cleaning process to turn used vegetable oil into biofuel. The unit is located outside the restaurant; just like a central air conditioning unit is placed. It contains one electrical hookup, a water feed, and a return feed. This reduces the power required for the water heater, because the water is partially heated through the Vegawatt. Better yet, the Vegawatt requires no maintenance, according to Owl.

While Vegawatt cannot power an entire restaurant, it can produce 10-25% of the energy required, which could translate to hundreds of dollars per month on saved utility costs. Right now, some restaurants pay companies 10-25 cents per gallon to dispose of their used vegetable oil, though others use their oil in vehicles.

With Vegawatt, a restaurant can saves an disposal costs and turn their oil recycling into a cash-positive operation.

Vegawatt, says Owl, provides many environmental benefits. It is:

• Non-toxic
• Non-flammable
• Produces no liquid byproducts
• Reduces carbon emissions
• Decreases waste going into landfills

The $32,000 Vegawatt co-generation systems (their cost after the federal tax credit of 30 percent is $22,000) can be leased or purchased. The company says a restaurant can save about $1,000 a month — offsetting the purchase price in two years — if it produces 80 gallons of waste vegetable oil per week.
(Obviously, a lease makes the equipment payback virtually immediate, as long as the lease amount is less than the money saved on energy cots.)

As with many of green products, there are multiple government incentives when purchasing Vegawatt. Along with the federal tax credit of 30 percent of the cost, the equipment also could qualify for state refunds.

The company is selling primarily in the Northeast, but hoping to expand to the Mid-Atlantic states. “There is a lot of interest in California, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and other places internationally as well,” Peret said.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Camelina sativa, a member of the mustard family, is an oilseed crop that is proving to have a great industrial potential in the near future. Studied throughout the entire process, from planting to plane, Camelina has shown to be one of the more promising alternatives to petroleum jet fuel, according to a study  done at Michigan Technological University.

The oil from Camelina, can be converted and used as an alternative fuel source, say MTU researchers, who conducted the research study in collaboration with Honeywell’s UOP and Targeted Growth.  The findings showed an “80% reduction in GHG emissions for “Camelina Green Jet” compared to petroleum jet (fuel),” said David Shonnard, Robbins Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering on Tuesday.

There are many benefits to Camelina. It is a dry-land crop that can be grown in rotation with wheat, which increases the health of the soil. “After a Camelina crop the land is returned ‘rested’ and ready for another 3 or 4 years of wheat cultivation,” said Shonnard. Camelina requires minimal input as well, so the cost of production is significantly lower than other alternative fuel crops. “Camelina is a short season crop (85 to 100 days) and is frost tolerant so it can be planted early,” said David Shonnard. While Camelina is not a food crop, the excess oil also can be used as feedstock for animals.

For right now, Camelina is primarily cultivated in eastern Washington, Montana, and the Dakotas. As demand increases, Camelina has the potential to be grown in many other dry-land locations, as well as areas that are not currently cultivated for crops.

Camelina oil is compatible with today’s existing fuel infrastructure, so there would be no necessary changes that needed to be made. Even though an exact schedule for commercial production is still unknown, the recent advances being made in biofuel are proving to be promising.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Solano County, Calif., is getting its first bio-fuel station with the opening Thursday at Plaza Oliver Valero in Fairfield. The station will have two renewable biofuels, E85 ethanol and B5 biodiesel, which are considered cleaner burning and less expensive than comparable gasoline and diesel fuels.

Biofuels (definition) are fuels made at least partially from renewable biological sources such as corn, soybeans, or vegetable oil. E85 ethanol and B5 biodiesel are both low carbon fuels consistent with California’s new Low Carbon Fuel Standard and both are clean burning fuels that result in lower Greenhouse Gas vehicle exhaust emissions. Many current vehicles are capable of operating on less expensive, cleaner burning E85 ethanol and B5 biodiesel with no modification.

After a ribbon cutting Thursday, Plaza Oliver Valero will celebrate the grand opening Saturday and Sunday. The station is located at 1009 Oliver Road, just off Interstate 80 near Chuck E. Cheese’s.

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The skies are getting cleaner thanks to efforts made by Continental Airlines in partnership with Boeing, GE Aviation/CFM International, and Honeywell’s UOP. In early January of this year, Continental Airlines conducted the first biofuel demonstration flight by a commercial carrier in North American. Wednesday, Continental Airlines said it was “very pleased” in announcing its analysis of the flight.

The 90-minute test flight, taking off from, and then returning to, Houston, successfully completed many necessary flight operations. Engine 1 operated on 100 percent jet fuel, while Engine 2 of the Boeing 737-800 operated on a blend of 50 percent jet fuel and 50 percent biofuel. The biofuel was made from a combination of algae and jatropha plants, which do not impact food harvests, water resources or contribute to deforestation.

While reducing the amount of traditional jet fuel used was an accomplishment because it potentially reduces dependency on crude oil — the use of biofuel provided an even greater benefit in lessening air pollution.

“Overall life cycle greenhouse gas emissions related to using a biofuel like the one used on our demonstration flight are estimated to be reduced by 60 percent to 80 percent as compared to traditional jet fuel,” said Susannah Thurston, Corporate Communications Manager at Continental

“We are very pleased with the findings of the demonstration flight,” Thurston said Thursday.

As far as when travelers can expect biofuels to be used on commercial flights, Susan Gross with UOP Communications expects it to be another three years. UOP expects to receive the licensing rights at the end of this summer. It will then take an approximate two-and-a-half years until the fuel is produced in commercial quantities and widely used.

In regards to the cost of biofuel in comparison to traditional jet fuel, Susan Gross says “at this time, we are unable to predict the actual cost.” There are two large factors when computing the cost of the biofuel, 85% is directly related to the cost of the products used and 15% is the cost of refining the fuel. The refining cost will stay the same. For example, the two alternatives used in the Continental demonstration flight, algae oil and jatropha plants, are more expensive than crude oil at this time. UOP hopes that with increasing demand for alternative fuels, more plants will be harvested and the prices will be comparable.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Leaders of the algae biofuel industry are headed to Capitol Hill today to raise awareness among congressional legislators and push for continued federal support to help the technology reach maturity.

Legislators are working a range of policy issues such as a Renewable Fuel Standard, tax code and Recovery Act funding that will have an enormous impact on emerging technologies, Executives from leading algae biofuel companies such as Aurora Biofuels, LiveFuels, and Solix Biofuels will be talking about production advancements that they believe will make algae biofuel commercially viable.

Algae-based biofuel has captured widespread interest for its ability to deliver significantly higher yields than plant-based technologies, recycle CO2 directly from industrial sources and not compete with agricultural land or water supply.

“The decisions Washington will make in the days ahead will determine the future of our industry, and our ability to fulfill demand for an abundant renewable fuels marketplace,” Matt Carr, policy director of the Industrial & Environmental Section at Biotechnology Industry Organization, said in a statement. “We want to help inform representatives to the realities of algae biofuel production and encourage measures that are inclusive of systems like these and with other advanced biofuels in any mandates to come.”

David Jones, COO of LiveFuels, stresses that the algae biofuel industry “will create jobs that cannot be outsourced.”

“By supporting this industry, we can ensure new high-quality, well-paid jobs – not only in science and technology, but operations as well,” Jones said in a statement.