>>>Only if it’s transparent,
Yep, that’s what I had in mind.
>>and has a large sun-facing surface area
>>relative to its size.
I had in mind large clear tubes which rotated.
To expand on that.
What if the algae could be made to cling to the surface of the tubes via an attraction like static electricity.
You could generate a photo voltaic current and conduct it through surface the tubes. When the current is shut off, the algae are released and harvested.
I say that having no idea what the electrostatic properties of algae are. But I wouldn’t be surprised if some FReeper knows all about algae’s electrical properties... ;-)