ABO’s executive director Matt Carr will be speaking at Bioenergy 2015, during the “Market and Policy Overview” plenary session.
You can Register here for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office eighth annual conference. Bioenergy 2015: Opportunities in a Changing Energy Landscapeis taking place June 23–24, 2015 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. This year’s event, co-hosted with the Clean Energy Research and Education Foundation, will be a tremendous opportunity to discuss critical bioenergy issues including impacts of changing oil prices, future of the Renewable Fuel Standard, algae-based biofuels, sustainability, bioenergy markets, among others.
University of California San Diego scientists recently used algal oil as the raw material for the world’s first algae surfboard. Check out this video to learn why algae are an ideal source for materials like this, and countless other products:
What if we could trap greenhouse gases in a way that almost immediately pays for itself? Dozens of Algae Biomass Organization members are developing the technology to do just that.
Check out the story of one Maryland company, HY-TEK Bio, that is using bioreactors to produce algae at a wastewater treatment plant. Once they are ready to go to commercial scale HY-TEK aims to capture carbon dioxide usually released by power plants, landfills and other industrial facilities, and use it to grow algae for use in all sorts of products, such as biofuels, nutritional supplements and food additives.
During the past 10 years, we’ve heard and read an awful lot about “Energy Independence” – both from the biofuels industry and the fossil industry. Indeed, during times of $100-$140 a barrel oil, both sides had a point – we need to control our energy density.
Rewind back to just a few years ago and the onset of the shale oil era – when America all of a sudden was able to extract millions of barrels of crude that were previously unobtainable. Supply flooded the market, prices came down and everyone was happy.
Proponents of fossil energy proclaimed a new era of dominance. Opponents of biofuels suggested the demise of the industry. After all, biofuels can’t compete with $50/barrel oil.
Turns out, neither can traditional oil. This week, Bloomberg BusinessWeek has a fantastic piece on the impact of cheap oil, as well as our nation’s continued dependence on forces outside our control when it comes to energy.
The article notes: “Big projects intended to start pumping oil and natural gas 5 to 10 years from now are being canceled or put on hold as the price crash forced $114 billion in spending cuts on the industry.”
Further, “The collapse in crude prices has been so steep and so dramatic that most of the 200 major international oil and gas projects scheduled for final investment approvals in the next two years are susceptible to cancellation or postponement,” said Nick Lowes, vice president of oil and gas consulting at IHS Inc. “Sixty-six percent of those projects aren’t economical at current prices.”
If we are ever truly to achieve energy independence, we must not only develop domestic sources of crude, but extremely cost effective method of production. As we’ve seen with shale oil, the floor is about $50 a barrel. Other alternatives, such as tar sands, arctic exploration and deepwater drilling need similar economics. In short, all the easy oil has been found – it will only get more costly to find new sources.
Conversely, the cost curve for algae-based fuels continues to decrease. With access to free, cheap or plentiful CO2 from industrial sources, as well as free sunlight and a prolific growth rate, algae are well positioned to become a major source of domestic fuels.
The Algae Foundation, ABO’s sister organization, is pleased to announce that it is offering $500 travel grants to attend the 9th Annual Algae Biomass Summit in Washington, DC, USA, from September 29 through October 2, 2015.
Purpose – To provide support for graduate students attending the Algae Biomass Summit (ABS) 2015
Award – Each Algae Foundation Student Travel Grant Award is $500 for use only in attending ABS 2015
Eligibility – to qualify for consideration the student must:
Be an ABO Member;
Be an undergraduate, graduate student or pre-doctoral student or
Be a PhD with a post-doctoral appointment and is currently involved in a full time academic research program for no longer than 2 years.
Submit an abstract to present a poster or oral presentation at ABS 2015 and be the presenting author of the abstract.
Provide a suggested budget to attend the Summit
Provide a current letter of recommendation for ABS 2015 (See below.)
Selection Criteria:
The relevance and scientific quality of the submitted abstract
The student has not received a similar travel grant award in the last two years
Only one travel grant per laboratory
The applicant must submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member or department head on official letterhead including the following information:
The letter must state that the student is expected to be active in the training or degree program at the time of the meeting, or, if the student has completed their terminal degree, the actual date of completion.
All applications and materials should be sent to:
Barb Scheevel, Algae Foundation Administrative Coordinator
Student Travel Grant Application deadline is May 15, 2015.
Selection Process – Selection is made by the Algae Foundation Travel Grant Selection Committee. The awards are highly competitive. If a grant recipient cannot present the accepted abstract, the recipient MUST notify the Algae Foundation as soon as possible. The grant will be rescinded and awarded to an alternate.
Award Notification: Awardees will be notified by June 15, 2015.
