The US uses about 20 million barrels of oil a day. There are 42 gallons in a barrel. So that is 840 million gallons per day. That comes out to 306.6 billion gallons per year.
Since one acre yields 100,000 gallons per year of algae oil (which we will presume is equivalent in refined product output to crude oil...which I highly doubt), then we only need 3 million acres to reduce our crude demand to zero.
Since one acre = 0.0015625 square mile, 3,066,00 acres = 4,790.625 square miles. That’s a single square about 69.2 miles per side. And the US is something like 6 million square miles.
So on the face of it, it is not completely ridiculous. But I’m very suspicious of the notion that the energy content of algae oil is equal to that of crude. I also suspect that cultivating algae bags would be quite energy (and water and carbon dioxide and labor) intensive.
Interesting concept though.
jas3
Petroleum comes from saltwater algae, coal from freshwater plants. Algae can grow in the open ocean, does not need land, freshwater, or fertilizer. Algae can be optimized to make diesel, alcohol, or emit hydrogen gas. In addition algae can be used absorb pollution.
The leftists are starting to get worried about this, referring to algae as pond scum and algae researchers as low on the food chain. Unlike ethanol this threatens their dreams of an imposed communist lifestyle.
I wouldn’t bet on this now, but given another 5-15 years...it could definitely be an option.