Some, not all. I narrowed a pretty long list down to these 10, based on facts versus fantasizing on their websites, media exposure, and other factors. May trim some more or divide them up into categories such as closed reactors, fermenters, open ponds, wild algae harvesting, etc. Suggestions?

(update) On 4-20 I revised this list again with more of what they are actually doing and less of the PR stuff.

Algae at Work - Boulder, CO - Jim Sears and Mark Allen founded A2BE Carbon Capture to take on the challenge of commercializing algae technologies...
Active in the formation of the Algal Biomass Organization. Developing covered pond algae cultivation systems.

Algae Venture Systems - Marysville OH - 3-23-09 - A technological breakthrough that dramatically reduces the cost of removing water from algae – making algae an economically feasible source of fuel – was announced today...

Bodega Algae - Jamaica Plain, MA - Closed algae photobioreactors. New lighting technologies. Research affiliations with Nasa Ames Research Center, with on-going academic research conducted at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Labs.

Green Star Products - southern CA - These guys have been into renewable energy projects since the early 90's - ethanol, biodiesel, electric cars, renewable-sourced lubricants and other chemicals, and an experimental algae pond in Montana.

HR BioPetroleum (with Shell Oil) - Hawaii - Supposedly won an award 4-17 for Innovation, but can't find another source to confirm. Last told, they had a pilot project in Hawaii which I've heard through these forums was halted due to environmental concerns.

OriginOil - Los Angeles, CA - "In the growth phase, nutrients are fractured and injected into algae culture. In the extraction phase, fracturing breaks the tough outer membrane of the algae in an energy-efficient manner." Cool time-lapse video of the oil separation on their website.

PetroSun - Scottsdale, AZ - Partnering up with existing catfish pond farmers in the south to cultivate algae as an alternative crop. Originally an oil services company.

Sapphire Energy - San Diego, CA - Developing 'bio-crude', a direct to fuel process for algae. Lots of scientific people who check out, and supposedly funded by Bill Gates' investment group.

Simgae/Diversified Energy - Gilbert, AZ - Developed a trough system. Pics on one being set up on their website. "From October 2007 to April 2008, Diversified Energy successfully executed a HydroMax gasification demonstration contract funded by the Department of Energy..."

Solazyme (and Chevron Oil) - San Francisco, CA - Produced world's first algal jet fuel. Patent for method to modify genes for increased hydrogen production by a cell.

Solix Biofuels - Fort Collins, FL - "is a direct intellectual descendant of the U.S. DOE’s Aquatic Species Program started in 1978 to explore ways to produce biodiesel from algae..." Focus on selecting appropriate algae species, determining growth parameters. Major funders include Valero Energy Corp.

Valcent Products/vertiGro - Developed a hanging-bag system for cultivating algae. Building first one in Europe.

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Great, finally! Where do I fill up?

I don't know much about what's going on in the Netherlands where you are, Dimitri, as I've confined this list to companies here in the N. American Union. However I would say that the companies that have started down the road to algae production in 2008 probably won't have product available commercially (at a retail pump) until 2010. They will probably start out providing biodiesel to trucking and industry first.

It will be up to people like you and me to help get the product available at pumps, by informing our local fuel distributors about biofuels much like what was done to help get ethanol and biodiesel into the marketplace.

Nice list of blahblah.
Some of these companies may actually produce the goods they advertise.
However, when it comes to producing Biodiesel from Algae I don't see any of these companies producing any meaningful quantities of biodiesel at a price that is competitive or even nearly competitive to biodiesel or petro-diesel.

Apart from the few that just want to take your money. most are doing equipment and the rest is "hoping to"

I'm with Dimitri here.

But I AM curious where you get the 2010 figure from.
"hoping to"?

FrancyD, I've seen your other mindless rips on algae before and am honored that you have decided to attack me now.
I'm actually going to help fan the flame war you are trying to start here to help keep this post at the top of the list. Thanks for that, too.

First off, who were you quoting with the word "hoping" in parentheses? I would never give such an easy in for an attack. However if anyone involved commercially used that word they were probably describing the feeling one has about uncertain future events such as permit approval, zoning, DNR approval, emissions, fire codes, insurance estimates, and other complexities of business. It is an appropriate word, and much better I feel than absolute certainty which is sort of delusional.

And calling my list, which only took about 3 or 4 hours of my life to research and compile "blahblah" doesn't exactly hide your extremely anti-algae bias, does it?

Lastly, I got date of 2010 for commercial production out of my own head. I arrived at this date in my own mind as a result of reading the last 5 years of research in this field and coming to a conclusion of my own through a process called "thinking".

And by heavens, if you are right about algae being a hoax, don't waste more time talking to me! I don't have any money in this! My God sir you have a moral obligation and duty to contact Shell, Conoco, and Bill Gates and warn them that their hundreds of millions in investments are a waste and you can prove it!!!

Since you probably stand to make piles of money for yourself, as well as some recognition, I don't see any reason why an intelligent person armed with your knowledge would waste another second on the algae forums.

Mindless rips? Fine by me.
But if you call that an attack, you don't know me very well.

I commented on the experiment in Maui, because that is so far the best real life big test available.
The signs are hopeful, but that's all they are for the moment.
With the output those people have (again: at the moment) no commercial setup is possible for the production of algea for biodiesel.
Not now and not in 2010.
It might at a later date, I really hope so, and I SAID so already.
And I used those real life figures as optimistically as possible (hardly signs of an extreme bias wouldn't you say?)

You may have compiled this list and your enthusiasm is commendable.
But the list existed already.
The blahblah refers not to you, because it is not your text, it's the text of the companies that want to sell their products/ideas/ and/or get investors money.

Just to humour me:
algae@work: where is the plant?
Algenol Biofuels: Not Biodiesel, but a good idea; so where's the plant?
Aquatic Energy: It's the end of 2008, where's the plant?
Aurora BioFuels, Inc.: They just want money; why show yellow flowers when you could have green slime to show, which is what we are looking for here.
Bionavitas: Wow, more great ideas and nothing practical.
Blue Marble energy: I like this one because they DO things, not biodiesel btw, but useful!
Bodega Algae: Good luck in making biodiesel in economic quantities from a PBR AND make money.
PBR's are fine for food and cosmetics production; not biodiesel
Green Star Products: Equipment again.

See where I'm going?
Where is that plant that produces algae for biodiesel on a commercial scale?
Don't you think in all fairness that if ANY of these producers had something that is commercially viable, they would shout it from the roof?
They would be the heroes of a new energy revolution!
So why don't they shout? Because the can't!
And if it doesn't exist, where are you going to buy your algae-biodiesel retail?
This is not bias, these are normal questions anybody would ask, who would LIKE to see it happening.

What I gather from this list is that we would be better off in balloons: plenty of hot air to go around.
Dream on, clean and green, nothing wrong with that.

I criticised what was written, not the writer.
Pity you couldn't have that same courtesy.
I'm not interested in money very much and I had loads of recognition in a previous live; more than enough in all fairness.
Don't measure everybody with your own yardstick clean and green.

I completely agree with you. We won't see commercially available biodiesel or bio-ethanol from algae in the United States until at least 2010. I can't tell you about Ireland, though. Please keep us posted on local developments.

In Ireland?
There MIGHT be something going on in universities, but nothing that I'm aware of.
The only thing we have is a red algae bloom in the Bays (like Bantry Bay) for three weeks in a nice summer.
The mussel farmers hate it (it poisons the mussels)!

I think we are way to far North to do meaningful algae culture with high lipid strains.

About that list of yours:
It's not ONLY hot air (like I said: not yours, theirs) there are some good (and practical) ideas there.
For instance the Shell test, where they use PBR's to get the batch going and then let them loose in the raceways.

When I first got into algae as a source of biodiesel my main concern was that I be able to work in the field without having to leave my native Wisconsin (a cold Canada-bordering state for all you forriners).

Even though a PBR that only worked 6 or 7 months out of the year could be viable or possibly profitable, one that was heated through the winter to a balmy 55 degrees F or so via a Geothermal Heating system could work in even the winteriest of climates, even Iceland!!! (or Ireland... whatever).

In case you haven't heard, Obama's issued new tax cuts for energy saving and renewable energy technology. I'm sure all of the companies on this list will be looking for highly skilled techs, which this site is certainly populated with, to help complete these new projects.

If you end up working for one of them make sure to send your co-workers to this site!

I am posting to see if much info comes of the subject , vs the bickering .
I have looking a little at a bunch of university studies , see a number of public TV shows , one about a coal fired power plant is AZ. starting convert/use algae , then the commercial air liner use as fuel .
Nothing is going to become a commercially avalable everywhere overnight , especially when it is in competition with other established fuels .
Also with whats seems like automatic negative response , even from those that are chasing alt. fuels/energy , it seem that there is lots of manipulation of the masses making it almost impossible to do anything .
But having some skepticism , can be a good thing , but it just seems to be done badly [ skepticism ] these days .

I think that a lot of the skepticism was a result of unrealistic expectations for oil yields. When you look at algae as a whole there are products like fertilizer, animal feed, and fish food that far outweigh the amount of oil or starch (for ethanol prod) you can get from the average strain. (edit: sugars not starches)

This is especially important when you consider the consensus is to use local strains of algae. This reduces the possibility of invasive species killing a "crop", but severely limits ones ability to grow a high-oil content strain or any specialized species.

Any of you "skeptics" out there who think you are going to help people avoid a "scam" should know by now you can't change most people's minds. If they haven't learned to be a little skeptical themselves after Bernie Madoff etc, heaven help them because no one else can.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: clean and green,

There is soo much manipulation in the general media these days , that the skepticism is a good thing , I just wish that more people would learn to leave the attitudes behind , I struggle with that myself .

quote:

Originally posted by FrancyD:
I commented on the experiment in Maui, because that is so far the best real life big test available.

Which experiment on Maui are you referring to? I live on Maui and I haven't heard of any algae production going on here. Maybe you are referring to This "project", that is not happening?

Shaun

Originally posted by clean and green:
Shaun:
Do you mean to say this project has been cancelled?

I ran across this story recently. Could you tell us if you've heard anything about it yourself?

It seems to me that a lot of companies are announcing things prematurely and then getting shut (or shot) down. Then again that happened a lot with biodiesel too so could just be bumps on the road...