“In the context of the International Building Exhibition IBA 2013 in Hamburg, Germany, the first algae bioreactor house was build. Algae-filled solar panels are the center of the house’s energy cycle. One one hand, they produce heat by absorbing solar energy, which is used to heat the house and produce warm water.On the other hand they produce biomass for biogas production, which is used to provide electrical energy and more heat.”
This system is expensive, yes, due to the elegance of the system, however there are less expensive methods of using this technology. For example, instead of using a fuel cell, one could simply store the gas and use it for cooking and heating. There are strains of algae being developed here in New Mexico that yield biodiesel in the form of oil. Panels could be made of plastic instead of glass. There are any number of ways of trimming costs.
This is very interesting. The only thing I see as a problem is the initial up front cost. For a large building there might be a need but, the cost for a single home I believe would be out of reach. It wouldn’t be cost effective. What say you?
Looks very expensive to me.