Bioenergy from algae

09 November 2022 ISEADD

Bioenergy from algae

In these times of energy crisis, major questions are being asked about the future of our prosperity.
prosperity, which we have already shown to be closely dependent on our ability to produce and, above all, consume energy. Much of mankind's technical progress has involved progress in this production and consumption, because without energy, nothing is possible.

Energy production and consumption

This is the origin of the myth of Prometheus. Greek mythology tells us that this heroic titan stole fire from the gods and offered it to mankind. Making fire is indeed the first manifestation of energy production, and of the consumption that follows: consumption of heat to protect against the cold at a time of the Ice Age when the cold was man's greatest enemy, consumption of light to see through the night, and fire to keep predatory wild animals at bay. This primary production led to others, such as the forging of metals, previously reserved for the god Hades alone.

Such is progress: it always leads to another, and the accumulation of inventions draws an upward curve that causes our comfort, and hence our life expectancy, to rise.

Our history has shown that, for the same amount of energy released by burning a ton of wood, 250 kilos of coal were enough when we entered the industrial era, then 160 liters of oil, and today 8 centigrams of uranium: 8 centigrams compared to a ton of wood in the past, that's how far we've progressed. At the same time, we've gone from a life expectancy of 35 years a century ago to 70 years today: in other words, we've gained a life in 100 years!

Europe's energy crisis

It's with this in mind that we need to put Europe's energy crisis into perspective, particularly as regards Russian gas, which the European Union decided to do without as a retaliatory measure. The European Union is the world's largest gas consumer, consuming 400 billion m3 per year. France was relatively little dependent on Russian gas, at 11% on a par with the Netherlands, its main supplier being Norway with 40%; but Germany depended on it for 55%, which explains why it is going to suffer from the crisis more than its neighbor, and is already starting to slow down its industrial production for lack of energy to run its machines. In the face of disaster, we are reminded that Prometheus' name meant "the Foresighted"...

So, are we lost? No, because man is inventive enough to find solutions to his problems.

Bioenergy: algae as a promising solution

As far as France is concerned, we can look to new technologies, certainly not solar and wind power which, given our current state of expertise, are little more than smoke and mirrors, only capable of covering less than 5% of our needs, but other energies such as hydrogen, or methane produced in algae such as seaweed or kelp. Seaweed cultivation can produce 120 tonnes per hectare, if you count the metres of depth. France alone has a maritime area of 11 million square kilometers, the largest along with that of the United States. In other words, France alone could cover Europe's needs with 0.5% of its maritime area, without using drinking water and using the most environmentally-friendly means available, not to mention green fuels and bioenergies.

So, solutions are possible, the biggest obstacles being those of the energy lobbies, but where there's a will, there's a way, because that's just the way man is.