National Algae Association responds to Department of Energy Request For Information DOE-FOI-1013

HOUSTON - Nov. 14, 2013 - PRLog -- DOE Issues Request for Information for Accelerating the Deployment of Advanced Biofuel, Bioproducts, and Biopower Technologies

“In Washington,the Bioenergy Technologies Office is seeking stakeholder feedback regarding bioenergy technology validation to accelerate the deployment of advanced biofuel, bioproducts, and biopower technologies. BETO is specifically interested in information technologies that are ready for technology validation at a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 or higher.”

The details of this Request for Information, DOE-FOI-1013, speak for themselves: “Because information received in response to this RFI may be used to structure future programs and FOAs and/or otherwise be made available to the public, respondents are NOT to provide any information in their responses which may be considered business sensitive, proprietary or confidential.”

How much new information is needed? After all, the DoE has already been researching algae for over 60 years. How many conferences do the DOE and government researchers need to attend before something is commercialized? How many algae caucus committees need to be organized and which one or ones will take on the initiative to change the Congressional Mandate from only funding algae research in university laboratories to the deployment of algae production technologies?

The algae production industry should be ready to take existing algae technologies that can prove scalability outside the lab and use them in commercial algae production. The algae industry is big enough to include all algaepreneurs, commercially-minded researchers and private industry; it is NOT exclusive to the government, researchers or federal contractors. The algae industry is made up of algaepreneurs and private business that are committed to the commercial algae production industry, NOT specifically for more algae research. They are committed to create value in ‘existing algae technologies’ before new enhancements are made. The algae production industry is open to anyone that is interested in commercial algae research, commercial algae production and above all results that can help the algae industry in commercial scale-up.

After interviewing past algae research, equipment and private industry applicants applications for algae grants through the DOE Biomass Program has been nothing short of unacceptable.

Most algaepreneuers have little to no confidence in the Department of Energy and, in particular, the biomass programs it leads. On behalf of NAA and its members, we are publicly asking the DOE why they need they need more validation of and input from the private business community? After all, didn’t you get what we all paid for over the last 60+ years, and after spending over $2.5 billion dollars? Or is this your way of admitting that you used the money to support university-based research, that the universities were allowed to stock their labs with the then-latest equipment available for the project du jour, that the research has not resulted in what you told us and 60 years of governmental administrations it would, that the equipment we purchased is now obsolete and now you need to come to us to get you out of your dilemma? We need to get you out of the way. It is time for the DOE to be stripped of its alternative energy biomass program and a new department – the Department of Alternative Energy (“DAE”) be created, to be led by algaepreneurs and not career researchers, to manage and administer the development of algal biomass and truly use "transformative and disruptive technologies".