Climate Change
Updated
Published
March 5, 2021 5:42 PM
A diver attaches seaweed to a prototype of a device called the “kelp elevator.” (USC Photo/David Ginsburg)
Could cars, trucks and planes be fueled by seaweed one day?
Researchers at USC s Wrigley Institute on Catalina Island have been testing an innovative method of growing kelp that could make that a reality, by dramatically speeding up the algae s growth process.
Kelp is considered a viable source of renewable energy. Unlike other biofuels, it doesn t take pesticides or fertilizer to produce, and it s naturally fast-growing. But up until now,
there hasn t been a way to cultivate enough of it to make it cost-competitive with fossil fuels.