Algae, the green energy alternative

Esther Ng, Today Online 5 Nov 08;

FIFTY years from now, filling up your car with petrol could be a distant memory. Instead, the fuel of choice could be algae, or any one of the second-generation biofuels derived from agricultural waste such as straw, wood residue, stems and leaves.

That is, if the cost of extracting fuel from these biomasses can be successfully reduced.

In addition, more hydrogen fuel cell cars could populate the roads. These are some of the scenarios drawn up by energy experts at the Singapore Energy Conference yesterday at Raffles City.

As a substitute for diesel, biofuel is commonly used to power vehicles; it can also be used to power hydrogen fuel cells and generators.

Second-generation biofuels are better than the first, because they produce less greenhouse gas emissions and are not made from crops that could otherwise be usedto feed people.

According to Mr Duncan Macleod, vice-president of Shell Hydrogen — one of the main distributors of first-generation biofuel — second-generation fuel “will not be commercially available in the next five to 10 years, but first generation fuel will continue to grow because of government mandate”. The reason? Biofuel exports, though small, are an economic contributor.

Until cheaper and more efficient biofuels are available, Mr Macleod called on “governments, energy companies and car manufacturers to develop more clean and efficient vehicles”.

But energy experts say no one type of fuel will be a “silver bullet” to climate change, and it makes better sense — politically and economically — to rely on a diverse range such as natural gas, hydrogen and biofuel for the world’s energy needs.