Friday was another big day for local algae as boosters continue their push to bolster San Diego’s reputation as a clean tech center. Xconomy’s Bruce Bigelow reports on algae-related events stretching from the early morning through the afternoon.
The reason for all the pomp and circumstance for pond scum is the potential for big money. The U.S. Department of Energy announced this week that $800 million in federal stimulus money will flow go toward making algae, and other biofuels, commercially viable alternatives to fossil fuels. And clean tech seems to be the only industry that is consistently attracting venture capital funding.
I wrote about San Diego’s emergence as an algae research in January.