Algae biofuel yields 154 times more miles per acre than soy biodiesel; solar is king, but as yet expensive

Miles per acre is the subject of an article at ecogeek on the productivity of various renewable energy sources. The article credited soybean biodiesel with a productivity of 2,400 miles per acre per year; corn ethanol, 18,000; palm oil biodiesel, 31,000; switchgrass, 32,000; wind, 180,000; algae, 370,000; solar, 2,250,000. The site said that it was clear that installation costs for solar were more than 100 times as expensive than for corn ethanol, and that biofuels can be produced on lands not well-suited for solar or wind.

In the first comprehensive report on the biofuel potential of switchgrass, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science says that switchgrass has a yield of more than five times the energy inputs needed to grow and process it into ethanol. The 10-farm, five year study was conducted across the Midwest and potentially is key to unlocking the potential of cellulosic ethanol in the US.

Algae yields of up to 100,000 gallons per acre have been projected by companies such as Vertigro.

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