It has been reported that with flat panel/plate photobioreactors, high photosynthetic effi­ciencies can be achieved (Hu et al., 1996; Richmond, 2000). Accumulation of dissolved oxygen concentrations in flat plate photobioreactors is relatively low compared to horizontal tubular photobioreactors. Milner’s (1953) work paved the way to the use of flat culture vessels for cultivation of algae. Flat panel photo bioreactors were used extensively for mass cultivation of different algae (Tredici and Materassi, 1992; Hu et al., 1996; Zhang et al., 2002; Hoekema.,

2002) . Lack of temperature control and gas engagement zones are some of the inherent dis­advantages observed with this type of photobioreactor.