This report (Vignon et al. 1982), comissioned by the ASP, was the first comprehensive discussion of the resource requirements for microalgae production. It covered the criteria that should and could be used to identify available water, land and other resources, to estimate their relative importance, and to evaluate various legal, institutional, and other resource constraints. These issues were discussed at some length, focusing on the southwestern United States, although most of the discussion was of a rather general nature. For example, land and water rights issues are addressed, which are certainly important, but are difficult to extrapolate over large areas. Similarly, permits for such facilities will be very important, but will also involve site specific considerations.

The authors calculated various costs and energy inputs for water (seawater) pumping and transportation to arrive at permissible lift and distance criteria for water resources. Water lifting of some 75 m and pipeline distances of 6 km, with an approximately 1-m diameter pipeline, were estimated to cost about $31 million for a 400-ha system. This estimate for water supply is as high as later estimates for the total cost of building and operating an entire microalgae production system (see Section III. B.5.), which puts some perspective on the limits of lift and distance for water supplies. This report did not arrive at a prediction for the resource base, but was an important early introduction to the complexities of such resource assessments.

I Publications:

Vigon, B. W.; Arthur, M. F.; Taft, L. G.; Wagner, C. K.; Lipinsky, E. S.; Litchfield, J. H.; McCandlish, C. D.; Clark, R. (1982) “Resource assessment for microalgal/emergent aquatic biomass in the arid southwest.” Battelle Columbus Laboratory Report, Solar Energy Research Institute, Golden, Colorado.