Algae is the New New Thing

Good Morning!

With most of North America and Europe struggling under rain and snow, I hope that you are staying warm and safe.

Back in 2000, a book called The New New Thing told the early story of what became the dot-com revolution. The amazing transition from a Silicon Valley industry to a worldwide phenomenon was triggered between 1992 and 1994*.

Now it seems that Algae is the New New Thing. With even Al Gore renouncing corn ethanol, crop-based biofuels are on their way out… finally.

Meanwhile, as New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman pointed out Saturday in his landmark opinion piece, The U.S.S. Prius, the US military is embracing advanced biofuels unquestioningly:

“The Navy will use only “third generation” biofuels. That means no ethanol made from corn because it doesn’t have enough energy density. The Navy is only testing fuels like camelina and algae that do not compete with food, that have a total end-to-end carbon footprint cleaner than fossil fuels and that can be grown in ways that will ultimately be cheaper than fossil fuels.”

There’s no turning back: advanced biofuels (algae especially) will get the support – and subsidies – of the world.

And so, Happy Holidays to you and yours, and may 2011 may be the best year yet!

Riggs and team

Riggs Eckelberry
President & CEO
OriginOil, Inc. (OOIL)

* Note: I commented on “The New New Thing” in my 2009 industry slideshow, this is 1992