OriginOil has made a breakthrough scaled down system that uses algae to create hydrogen with similar efficiencies to using solar energy. The efficiency of using OriginOil’s Hydrogen Harvester is around 12-percent and solar energy hydrogen systems by comparison offer a wide range of efficiencies between 6 and 20-percent.
One of the disadvantages of solar is that on cloudy days and at night, the production of hydrogen stops. Not, so with the Hydrogen Harvester as algae will continue to produce hydrogen long after the sun goes down.
According to CTO of OriginOil Brian Goodall, “Our experiments clearly demonstrate that this technology can generate renewable hydrogen at rates that matter to the global economy. These early rates compare well with those of the more mature solar cell industry, with the added benefit that the fuel, hydrogen, is readily storable. This is the first renewable source for today’s $39 billion hydrogen market.”
The algae to hydrogen system offers two more advantages. First, it can be self-sustaining by using some of the hydrogen to run through a fuel cell to create power for the production system and facility so that it will be grid independent.
Another advantage is that algae absorbs CO2 making it a carbon sink cleaning the air as it produces H2. The next big step will be for OriginOil to scale up its algal system to provide large quantities of commercial grade hydrogen.
You are missing several of the other advantages of algae and the system from Origin Oil.
It’s main purpose initially was to grow algae using it as a CO2 collector. The algae is then harvested, oil is separated and used for biofuel. The remaining solids become a high protein feed for animals or can be used to make ethanol.
Creating the hydrogen is another revenue stream on top of biofuel and feedstock. You can harvest 10,000 times more oil for biofuel from one acre of algae than from soy beans. You harvest every 24-48 hours.
Now add them all together and you have one very slick solution.