The Promise of Pond Scum Who needs oil or coal or gas when the world is full of plain old algae?

Discover Magazine ^ | October 2005 | Michael Robbins

[Past Your Eyes]

A merica’s gluttonous demand for energy shows no signs of abating anytime soon. We burn through 20 million barrels of oil per day and are projected to use 28.3 million barrels per day by 2025. In order to meet that demand, Department of Energy analysts estimate that we’ll need to double the amount of oil we import. And that is just the appetizer. Spencer Abraham, who served as Secretary of Energy during President George W. Bush’s first term, has blithely predicted that America’s growing electric power needs can be met only if we build between 1,300 and 1,900 new power plants by 2025.

For solutions, scientists are going back to basics—to the sun, but not to photovoltaics, the direct conversion of sunlight into electricity. After decades of failed promise, photovoltaics remain expensive and inefficient and account for less than .03 percent of the electricity supply nationwide. The smart money is on innovative efforts by biologists to genetically hijack photosynthesis, the processes that plants and other organisms use to turn solar rays into molecular energy.

[Past Your Eyes]

Ah, pond scum. Why didn't somebody think of that before?

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

There's a better solution: Industrial Hemp (Cue the hysterical screaming from the pro-drug warriors)

[Paradox]

"Oh, mighty pond scum! You are powerful and, uh... scummy!"

Uh, sorry, I was having a Veggie Tales moment.

[highlander_UW]

Not a chance. As soon as someone starts to scoop off the pond scum they are going to be sued by the ACLU representing some wacko Left wing group arguing that some sort of mosquito or something will be killed.

[Past Your Eyes]

And I hear pond scum thrives when given a steady diet of smelly lieburrals. And we've got plenty of them.

[Moonman62]

There's a better solution: Industrial Hemp

Industrial hemp is very difficult to process with automation. It gums up the machinery. In countries where it is legal to grow it still has to subsidized.

[CaptRon]

A merica’s gluttonous demand for energy

Seems like all articlces on this subject have to start with something like this.

It's America's "gluttony" that fuels the world economy and allows America to be the most generous nation on earth when it comes to aiding to needy countries.