The Department of the Navy’s investments in advanced biofuels could improve national and economic security
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (July 23, 2014) The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO), the trade association for the algae industry, announced today that Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) Dennis McGinn will be a Keynote Speaker at the 8th Annual Algae Biomass Summit (ABS) – the largest algae conference in the world. The agenda for the Summit, being held September 29-October 2 in San Diego, California can be viewed at: http://www.algaebiomasssummit.org/?page=Agenda.
McGinn is leading the Department of the Navy (DON) in its search to find advanced biofuels that will serve as a sustainable and independent source of energy for DON operations and help bring national and economic security for the nation. Under the Defense Production Act, the DON has looked at numerous feedstocks and the ability to bring larger quantities of advanced alternative fuels to market. Algae-based fuels have been looked at because of their great potential for becoming sustainable and scalable. A number of ABO member companies, including Cellana, Sapphire Energy, Algenol and Bioprocess Algae are leading the effort and investing hundreds of millions of dollars to commercialize algae-derived automotive, aviation and marine fuels.
“Assistant Secretary McGinn is a well-respected and powerful advocate for the importance of domestically-produced renewable fuels as a strategic imperative for the United States military,” said Matt Carr, Executive Director of ABO. “The algae fuels industry is creating new sources of fuel and energy that will create jobs, increase our energy security and deliver improved performance for our economy.”
McGinn, a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, retired in 2002 after achieving the rank of Vice Admiral. Since then, he has been active in advocating for renewable energy and national security. He is the former President of the American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), an organization dedicated to building a secure and prosperous America with clean, renewable energy. While at ACORE, he led efforts to communicate the significant economic, security and environmental benefits of renewable energy. McGinn is also a past co-chairman of the CNA Military Advisory Board and an international security senior fellow at the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Hundreds of stakeholders from the algae industry will be in attendance at the Algae Biomass Summit to hear McGinn speak. The Algae Biomass Summit features keynotes, panels and nearly 100 presentations in breakout sessions organized into four tracks: Biology, Engineering & Analysis, Finance & Policy, and Commercialization. More than 100 posters will be on display showcasing groundbreaking new technologies and research. More information about the Summit can be found at www.algaebiomasssummit.org.
About the Algae Biomass Organization
The Algae Biomass Organization (ABO) is a 501(c)(6) non-profit whose mission is to promote the development of viable commercial markets for renewable and sustainable commodities derived from algae. Its membership is comprised of people, companies and organizations across the value chain. More information about ABO, including its leadership, membership, costs, benefits and members and their affiliations, is available at the website: www.algaebiomass.org.