Algae Fuel Airpark

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Algae Fuel Airpark

Due to the great climate and weather, Scottsdale is a popular golf and resort/spa destination for businessmen and tourists from the United States and the world. Tourism is a vital part of Scottsdale’s economy, bringing in 6.7 billion dollars per year. Scottsdale’s future depends on the health of this industry. However, rising oil prices caused by a “Peak Oil” scenario will make fuel expensive – raising the cost to visit Scottsdale. With 200,000 operations per year, Scottsdale airport is one of the busiest single runway airports in the nation; bringing in both high-end tourists and businessmen. Rethinking fuel is necessary to ensure Scottsdale’s economy; algae provides a solution.Algae is not only a solution to the fuel problem; it has many environmental benefts. Algae needs water, nutrients, CO2 and sunlight (photons). Algae thrives upon greywater; filtering and cleaning it for reuse. Algae systems will thrive in Scottsdale due to its 325 days of sunshine per year. Arizona State University recognizes algae’s potential to solve the fuel issue. As a growing research institute, ASU has partnered with British Petroleum and Science Foundation Arizona to develop a source for the production of biodiesel. Researchers at ASU are part of a team led by Honeywell to find alternative sources of oil. ASU has a research park in Scottsdale near the airport. This park is empty now, and can be used to develop research on algae biofuel. The city can partner with Honeywell and ASU guide the airpark into the next generation.Scottsdale’s airport uses 10 million gallons of fuel per year. At $5.75 per gallon the yearly cost of fuel is $57.5 million - this number will increase in the future. The current price of refined algae fuel is $1.70 per gallon resulting in a yearly cost of $17 million per year. Switching to algae-based jet fuel would save the airport $40.5 million per year. The switch would not require the jet engine or any infrastructure to be altered – algae based fuel has the same molecular structure as fossil fuels. Flights completed by Air New Zealand, Continental and Virgin Atlantic Airways have already used algae-based fuels successful successfully. Algae may gradually replace existing fuel types.To provide fuel supply for the airport, algae must be mass-produced in a factory – the “bio-factory.” The factory house “Vertigro” algae systems in climate-controlled areas, each producing 33,000 – 48,000 gallons of algae oil per acre per year. The initial cost of a bio-factory is $175 million. Without additional funding this factory will pay for itself in less than fve years with savings of $40.5 million per year under present fuel costs which will surely rise, creating even more savings.This factory will not pollute and it will clean pollution on public lands, sequestering CO2 in the algae and cleaning the wastewater of Scottsdale. The bio-factory serves a double function. During the day, it shelters algae in a controlled climate and at night it fosters the arts community of Scottsdale that relies upon high-end tourism. Factory buildings at night are art galleries, spaces where the community gathers to celebrate the arts industry. The factory site is a place for Scottsdale’s community identity “Live, Work, Play.”This project provides a solution to the peak-oil scenario for the Scottsdale community, addressing the critical system of the airport. By keeping the airport an economically viable means of transportation, Scottsdale may thrive economically, allowing Scottsdale to continue to enjoy “Live, Work, Play” while using its revenue to continue to transform the community towards sustainability and regeneration.