In California, a new report by John Sheehan indicates that VG Energy's proprietary technology has the potential to create algal biofuel at prices that are competitive with current prices for crude oil. The process reportedly results in increased lipid production in the algae cells as well as increasing the ability to recycle these cells.
The report models several different production techniques currently in use with their productivity enhanced by use of VG Energy's compounds through increased lipid production and recyclability, showing a range of prices at which algae oil can be produced. VG Energy is planning studies to demonstrate these yields in practice. Mr. Sheehan is currently the Biofuels Coordinator in the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, and was previously a project manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, CO.
