Wind – Sea – Algae
International Workshop on Offshore Algae for Biofuels and Beyond
Lolland, Denmark
April 20-22, 2009
To investigate the feasibility, scalability, and impact of establishing an offshore algal energy facility, we will assemble an international team of scientists, engineers, economists, and ecologists for a three-day intensive workshop: The First International Conference on Offshore Algal Energy. The carefully selected multi-disciplinary team will bring together the diversity of expertise that will allow the potential and the problems, the pro’s and con’s of offshore algae cultivation for fuels to be seriously explored and evaluated. The Proceedings from this conference will be published and should serve as a roadmap for future developments in offshore algae production. From among the attendees of the Conference, teams of experts will become a dynamic steering committee that will provide guidance for the development of a pilot-scale demonstration offshore algal energy research facility to investigate the feasibility, scalability, and impact of research proposed in the roadmap.
The purpose, the plan, the program:
The purpose of this workshop is to consider the scientific, engineering, environmental, economic, and policy issues associated with offshore algal cultivation for biofuels and other products. We will focus on microalgae, but include lessons-learned from offshore macroalgae cultivation. We will consider possibilities for ocean environments in general, and Lolland or more specifically the windmill farms in Lolland, in particular.
The plan is to assemble a world-class group of scientists, engineers, economists, and policy-makers representing Universities, National Laboratories, and Industry to consider question of offshore algae cultivation. During a three-day workshop, this multidisciplinary group will explore and evaluate, discuss and debate, if offshore algae production is feasible, scalable, environmentally acceptable, and cost effective.
The program of lectures and discussions will be made available to the world through videotapes and publications. The videotapes will be edited and excerpts will be posted on the Web and otherwise distributed for educational purposes. Transcripts of the videotapes will become the basis for a Proceedings Volume edited by the organizers and co-authored by selected participants. All participants will have an opportunity to edit the transcript of their contributions. It is our goal that both the video and the published Proceedings will help elucidate the challenges and opportunities of offshore algae cultivation and provide inspiration and guidance for future developments in this field in Lolland’s community test facility and beyond.
Venue
Hotel Maribo Søpark
The invitation only workshop will take place at Hotel Maribo Søpark located in the little town of Maribo overlooking one of the largest natural lake systems in Denmark.
October 3, 2008
