Plankton Power: 50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy candidate profile
Plankton Power
Based in: Massachusetts
2008-09 ranking: Unranked
Business: Integrated Algae Biorefinery/Transesterification for Biodiesel, Jet Fuel, Helicopter Fuel. Distribution is through existing channels and with more available demand than supply and includes 3 of New England’s largest biodiesel distributors. Marketing, research and production partnerships are listed above.
Model: Build, Own, Operate under joint ventures
Past milestones:
1. Confirmed Project Location at Massachusetts Military Reservation (10 Acre Pilot) integrated with Landfill gas recovery
2. Formation of World Class Project team with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, Cape Cod Commission & Regional Technology Development Corporation for $20 million DOE FOA.
3. Production demonstration of 1 million gallons per year per acre in Argentina (3 month field trial results).
Future milestones:
1. Completion of 5 Acre Pilot facility, producing 1 million gallons per year.
2. Initial commercial facility development with gulf coast refinery and initial pilot location scale-up to 100 acres.
3. 100 million gallons per year production
Metrics: Fuel cost (per gallon) is projected at $1.40 – $2.00/gallon (commercial scale).
Plankton Power quotable quotes:
The technology is commercial ready. Platform is being migrated to the US for initial validation on a long production run, before moving to commercial fundraising and construction.
Comparisons with DOE Aquatic Species Program open pond production levels of 2,000-4,000 gallons per acre per year:
1. Closed Pond – 5 times improvement lack of predators, virus, bacteria, impacts of rain and snow
2. Integrated Proprietary Technology – Combined pond and photobioreactor 6 days growth in one day
3. Oil Trigger Mechanism – Gellification/Stress Cycle (2-3x improvement natural = 20-35% à 50%-65%)
4. Normalize for Pond Volume – Normal pond is 1 foot, we have a 5x improvement with a nearly 5 foot depth and full exposure of volume to light
5. Temperature – Constant temperature control 5-10x improvement
6. Light – Constant light & proper wavelengths 5-10x improvement
7. Species selection – 3-5x improvement over local wild strains, fresh water and or warm water species
8. Nutrients – Specialized micronutrient profile, algae recycling, etc.1-2x improvement
9. Concentrated CO2 – use of concentrated CO2 compared with natural CO2 10x improvement
10. Salinity – Proprietary salinity level unknown major advance
11. Major new low energy dewatering and extraction system
The Hot 50 for 2009-10 will be released Tuesday, 12/1. Between now and then, you’ll see profiles of potential candidates in the Digest, and you’ll have a chance to vote for your favorites. Reader response will count for 50 percent of a company’s overall score in the preparation of the rankings. The remaining 50 percent is voted by a panel of experts.
Information on registering your company for the “50 Hottest Companies in Bioenergy” rankings is here. While registration is not required, completing the candidate profile allows companies to augment information provided to the panel of selectors – registration form materials are also used to create candidate profiles that are published daily in Biofuels Digest.
Free Subscription to the Daily Biofuels Digest e-newsletter
Subscribe FREE to the world's most-widely read biofuels daily. Enter your email in the box below,
Related Stories
Hot Topics
The Hottest 50 Companies in Bioenergy
Latest algae-to-energy news
Latest jatropha news
Latest Waste-to-energy news
Entry Information
Filed Under: Producer News
Post a Comment | Trackback URL
You must be logged in to post a comment.
