BIOFUEL ALGAE TO ENERGY:MICROSOFT FOUNDER Bill Gates and the philanthropic division of Google are investing millions in green business ideas, writes John Reynolds
Gates has contributed to a $100 million (€69.8 million) investment in Sapphire Energy, a US third generation biofuel developer.
The company has developed a system that uses algae, sunlight, carbon dioxide and non-potable water to produce what it calls "renewable gasoline". It hopes to put the fuel on the market in five years.
"With this investment, Sapphire has the resources to make partnering decisions independent of the need for financing," says Sapphire chief executive Jason Pyle.
Biofuels made from algae have secured significant support from investors because unlike first generation biofuels, they do not need arable land to be produced. Sapphire said its end product is similar to light sweet crude and can be refined into chemically identical fuel products, such as gasoline, jet fuel and diesel products, that are entirely compatible with the current energy infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Google.org, the search engine's philanthropic arm has just signed a major new alliance with General Electric (GE) to develop and promote smart grid technologies to help energy users reduce their electricity usage.
This is the latest move into the green business sector for Google, which is also backing the development of electric cars, and more recently, advanced geothermal energy technology.
"We all receive an electricity bill that encourages little except prompt payment. What if we had access to real-time information about home energy use? What if our flat-screen televisions, electronic equipment, lights and appliances were programmed to automatically adjust to save money?"said Michael Terrell, an executive with Google.org.
The company has also indicated that it is interested in breaking into the potentially huge market for software capable of managing smart grid applications and processing the real-time energy-use data that will result from such systems.
Terrell added that Google.org and GE will be working together on the "software, controls, and services to enable utilities to integrate plug-in vehicles into the grid."
