NRG Energy testing GreenFuel's algae system in Louisiana

NRG Energy (NYSE: NRG) and GreenFuel Technologies have started testing GreenFuel’s algae-to-biofuels technology at a 1,489 megawatt coal power plant in Louisiana.

GreenFuel’s Emissions-to-Biofuels™ process uses engineered algae to capture and reduce flue gas carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into the atmosphere. The algae can be harvested daily and converted into a broad range of biofuels or high-value animal feed supplements, according to the company.

Power plants can choose to dry and store the carbon-rich algae biomass for use as renewable fuel for the plant, or convert it to valuable transportation fuels such as biodiesel or ethanol.

“Coal is—and will remain—the premier domestic fuel source for power generation purposes in the United States for the foreseeable future,” said David Crane, NRG President and Chief Executive Officer. “It is incumbent on us not only to build new coal plants using technology which limits or eliminates greenhouse gas emissions but to find the best way to retrofit the country’s existing fleet of coal plants for post-combustion carbon capture.”

In the initial field testing, which is to last approximately four months, algae species will be selected to optimize biofuel production based on the site’s flue gas composition, local climate and geography.

The ultimate goal is construction of a commercial-scale facility. A full scale commercial deployment could recycle enough CO2 to yield as much as 8,000 gallons of biodiesel per acre annually under optimum conditions, GreenFuel claimed.

“With the help of forward thinking and environmentally responsible companies like NRG, we can use algae to recycle power plant CO2 emissions safely and economically into a continuous supply of clean, renewable fuels,” said GreenFuel Technologies CEO Cary Bullock.

NRG owns a diverse portfolio of power-generating facilities, primarily in Texas and the Northeast, South Central and West regions of the United States.

GreenFuel is a leader in the development of algae bioreactor systems that recycle carbon dioxide into clean renewable biofuels. The company is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass.

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