Mining Algae's Potential

"About this time in the conversation, someone usually raises their hand and says, 'But it's dark,'' said David Summers, a mining engineering professor. 'That's not necessarily a disadvantage.'

Algae need light to produce lipids, or oil, but they work best when they use only the red and blue parts of the light spectrum and when they are given time in the dark to process the photons, Summers said."