The Israeli Energy Alternative

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The Israeli Energy Alternative

(Aug 2006)

Excerpts:

1. Industry experts predict oil production's peak out in 2007 and the race to find affordable alternative energy solutions sprints forward for scientists

2. The ongoing ISRAEL21c series 'The Israeli Energy Alternative,' profiles some of the most promising projects and initiatives currently underway in Israel to address growing US and global energy changes.

3. Algae as a Fuel Source - Algatech in the southern Negev is turning a collective focus towards algae-derived bio-fuel.

4. Over 150 species of algae are currently used commercially to provide food for humans and livestock, serve as thickening agents in ice cream and shampoo, and ward off disease in pharmaceutical drug form. Unaltered, algae encompass different groups of living organisms that capture energy through photosynthesis, converting inorganic substances into simple sugars.

5. Algatech was founded in 1999 to develop and commercialize micro-algae-derived products for the nutraceutical and cosmeceutical industries

6. Will soon begin collaborating with Israeli-US start-up GreenFuel Technologies Corporation to work towards a common goal: developing cost effective, energy efficient fuel made from micro-algae feeding off of carbon dioxide emissions.

7. The Israel-US Bi-National Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) recently issued the parties a collective co-research grant.

8. The algae is a micro or single cell alga cultivated by Algatech using an optimization and screening process.

9. Made up of lipids, starches and carbs -- nature's basic building blocks or the stuff we eat - algae goes from starch or sugar form through fermentation to alcohol and protein where it can be eaten or burned.

10. The major tasks facing Algatech and GreenFuel are culturing the algae, optimizing the process and keeping costs low as compared with conventional fuel or other bio-fuels already on the market.

11. According to a GreenFuel exec, there is a fair amount of power plant land in Australia, the US and Western Europe ideal for bio-diesel and ethanol production

12. Israel has been at the forefront of algae research for years, cultivating, developing and studying different strains of microalgae under ideal climate conditions.

13. The Negev desert setting is ideal for algae growth.

14. There are about 30,000 species of micro-algae - mostly unexplored

Personalities mentioned: Algatech Research and Development head Dr. Amir Drory, BIRD Executive Director Eitan Yudilevich, GreenFuel CEO Cary Bullock

Complete article can be found here

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