(Notícia em Inglês)
Although oil, coal and natural gas are expected to represent about 80 percent of global energy supply mix through 2030, nuclear and renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels will play a significant role, ExxonMobil's senior vice president Andrew Swiger said.
Global energy demand is expected to rise by almost 35 percent by 2030, from 2005 levels, he said.
"We are testing the hypothesis that algae biofuels could become commercially viable and achieve sufficient scale to make meaningful contribution to the future energy mix," he told the Asia Oil and Gas Conference in the Malaysian capital.
Sunlight and carbon dioxide used to grow the algae could also mitigate the effect of greenhouse gases, while algae has the potential to produce large volumes of oils that can be processed in existing refineries to make fuels compatible with existing transportation technology and infrastructure.
"It is early days in this research, and the obstacles we face are formidable, but the potential is great," Swiger added.
reuters.com»
Although oil, coal and natural gas are expected to represent about 80 percent of global energy supply mix through 2030, nuclear and renewable energy such as wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels will play a significant role, ExxonMobil's senior vice president Andrew Swiger said.
Global energy demand is expected to rise by almost 35 percent by 2030, from 2005 levels, he said.
"We are testing the hypothesis that algae biofuels could become commercially viable and achieve sufficient scale to make meaningful contribution to the future energy mix," he told the Asia Oil and Gas Conference in the Malaysian capital.
Sunlight and carbon dioxide used to grow the algae could also mitigate the effect of greenhouse gases, while algae has the potential to produce large volumes of oils that can be processed in existing refineries to make fuels compatible with existing transportation technology and infrastructure.
"It is early days in this research, and the obstacles we face are formidable, but the potential is great," Swiger added.
reuters.com»