This marks the third time I've written about companies doing work to produce synthetic gasoline substitutes from genetically modified single cell organisms. The San Franscisco Chronicle has a feature today on Solazyme, a South San Francisco startup, that's modified blue green algae and produced jet fuel.
Company
officials said that their algae-based fuel had been tested by one of
the nation's leading fuel analysis laboratories and had passed eleven
tests necessary for use in aviation.
Solazyme
has been experimenting with different strains of algae since 2003 in an
effort to develop renewable alternatives to petroleum for use in
transportation, cosmetics, cooking and manufacturing.
The
company genetically modifies algae from around the world to consume a
wide range of feedstocks, such as wood chips, switchgrass and sawdust.
When the algae consume more of these substances than they immediately
need, they produce oil as an energy storage mechanism.
Last winter, Solazyme produced fuel that powered a Mercedes diesel car around the Sundance Film Festival.
Dillon
predicted that Solazyme will be able to bring production costs down to
a point where its fuel will be competitive with $40- to $80-per-barrel
oil in two or three years.
Along with LS9 and Sapphire Energy, Solazyme is leading the way to not only energy independence for the United States, but a lead position in providing an alternative form of energy to the rest of the world. While it may be entertaining political theater to chant "drill baby drill" at conventions, there are, thankfully, smart and serious folks really doing something about finding real, lasting, and strategic solutions.
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