Culture Fuels have come up with a method to harvest fuel from...

Culture Fuels have come up with a method to harvest fuel from algae, that is out in the open so to speak, and a plan for gradual commercialisation :

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2013/11/growing-algae-to-produce-clean-fuel-and-offset-carbon-emissions?cmpid=WNL-Friday-November15-2013

From the article :

Algae, water and new media (a mix of compounds to support growth) are inserted into a clear “bag” that floats in a pool of water. CO2 is pumped into the bag and a turbine spins to keep the fluid moving. Since it is a closed system, there is much less risk for contamination, and the clear bag allows for plenty of sunlight for rapid algae growth.

Every 11 days, the algae are ready to be harvested. About 60 percent of the bag is taken out and its oil can then be extracted for fuel. The bag is then refilled with new media to restart the growing process. According to Welch, an acre of FloatAlgae will produce 2,000 gallons of fuel – an improvement over average ethanol production, which typically amounts to 600-700 gallons per acre.

The technology is still in very early stages, and currently costs $121,000 per 0.01 acre. However, once it scales up, it is projected to cost $8,500 per 2,500 acres, according to Welch.

It will be interesting to compare their numbers to AEB's ...