Pros and Cons of Algae Based Energy

T hese photos (see link at bottom) shows a recent Algae outbreak on the coast of China. As the earth heats up and rains increase, these kinds of algae blooms in coastal areas will become more and more common. They're a nuisance to fisherman, a threat to ocean life and a costly pain in the neck to local governments. And yet, a friend of mine recently showed me some interesting projects around the world that are seeking to use algae as a primary source for biofuel. The info he showed me indicates that its much more cost effective then corn or palm oils, and unlike these crops it requires no land to be grown. It's kind of like a weed in the ocean, it grows like crazy in almost any location, especially warm water with high nutrient content from farm runoff. There are also interesting projects underway now that are connecting up algae pools and standing cylanders directly to factories, as a way of absorbing their C02 emissions, growing from it, reducing what goes into the sky. When the algae grown is turned into fuel it can be used to create energy for factories as well, so its a kind of recycling. I haven't heard any problems yet with algae, but usually every energy source has some challenges. 

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Algae-outbreak-hits-coastal-China-2008-Olympic-Games-Shandong-province-climate-change/ss/events/sc/063008chinaalgae/im:/080626/483/a0363dd6d64b47fa9fd9307d7072a003/