The survey conducted by the AGO on behalf of the US algae industry also acknowledges the critical role of supportive Federal policy with regard to hiring and production. It includes responses from companies involved in the production and buying of algae or algae-derived products and equipment manufacturers, research laboratories, providers of equipment and materials, government agencies and service providers. The survey contacted over 470 organisations within the industry revealing continuing growth within the sector with 67 percent of algae producers confirming they will be seeking to expand in 2013.
The survey demonstrates a strong positive attitude within the industry regarding prospects for cost-competitiveness. Over 90 percent of survey respondents, rising to 95 percent among producers, said they believe it is likely that algae-based fuels will be able to compete with fossil fuels by 2020. Algae is also likely to be extremely diverse in the range of products it can supply. Around 28 percent of producers are focused on the fuels market but 35 percent are looking at feeds with another 28 percent interested in nutritional products and 18 percent in fertilizers.
Producers are strongly in favour of improved Federal policy support for the industry with nine out of ten employers remarking that better policy would lead their organisations to accelerate hiring.
“After another year of impressive industry progress and scientific breakthroughs these results reflect continued optimism about the future of algae as a viable source of sustainable fuels and other products” said Mary Rosenthal, executive director of ABO. “The positive outlook in the results of this survey was undoubtedly influenced by passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 that, for the first time, allows algae derived fuels to qualify for a $1.01 per gallon tax credit.”
The survey also finds that the algae industry supports a wide variety of jobs across the US, that Congressional engagement is high and that the most important areas for Federal policy are research and development grants, commercialization grants and tax credits/incentives.
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