This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic
newsletter. Shell and HR Biopetroleum to Grow Algae for Biofuels
Royal Dutch Shell plc announced on December 11th that it will
work with HR Biopetroleum to build a pilot facility for growing
algae as a source of biofuels. The facility will cultivate algae
in seawater ponds, then harvest the algae and extract oil from
them for conversion into fuels such as biodiesel. Construction
of the facility will begin immediately on a parcel of land
leased from the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority
(NELHA), which is located on the west shore of the island of
Hawaii. The NELHA site is ideal for the project because it pipes
in a constant supply of clean, fresh ocean water. NELHA was
originally built to support a DOE project for ocean thermal
energy conversion, and it continues to employ the project's
seawater supply pipes to support a variety of research projects
and commercial enterprises, including facilities that currently
grow and harvest algae f