LA Times profiles San Diego algae bloom – $16 million in new payroll from algae-related jobs

In California, the LA Times published an extensive feature on the explosion of algal fuel research in San Diego, concluding that “the firms and organizations conducting algae research employ nearly 300 people with more than $16 million in payroll and bring $33 million annually into the local economy.”

San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders added “It’s a critical industry, and it’s kind of exploded. There’s a long pattern of huge companies being spawned out of [UC San Diego] and our other research centers, and it’s going to create a tremendous number of jobs.”

The feature focuses on the emergence of the San Diego Center for Algae Biotechnology, the $600 ExxonMobil investment into a program of R&D with Synthetic Genomics, large-scale algae farms in the Imperial Valley, and numerous commercial ventures exploring “nature’s solar panels.”

A total of 200 biotech companies are located in San Diego, according to the Times report.

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