The U.S. Navy is on a mission to find U.S.-made fuel that will achieve a stable and independent source of energy for the Navy along with national and economic security for the nation.
Algae could be part of the solution.
Just this week, Dennis McGinn, U.S. Navy Assistant Secretary for Energy, Instillations and Environment, paid a visit to Arizona State University’s Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI). AzCATI is the largest university-based algae facility on the globe.
“Algae biofuel represents great potential in that it is sustainable and scalable. That’s why we’re interested in working with ASU and the industry to advance this technology,” said McGinn.
Under the Defense Production Act, the U.S. Navy partners with the DOE and USDA to invest in industries that are determined crucial to national security – biofuel production is a huge priority and the Navy already has invested millions.
The Navy wants to have 10-50% biofuel blends in their ships. This can be achieved after getting biofuel cost down to $3.50 a gallon or less and producing biofuels at a commercial scale of 170 million gallons a year by 2016.
Learn more about Dennis McGinn’s visit to AzCATI here.