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The Future of Bioenergy

In yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Juan Enriguez, the author of ”As the Future Catches You: How Genomics and Other Forces are Changing Your Life” and co-founder of Synthetic Genomics, wrote an excellent editorial entitled ”The Future of Bioenergy.”

In essense, Enriquez argues that we must do a better job of utilizing our existing energy sources, and he makes a powerful case that biological—and not chemical—engineering holds the key to transforming the industry. He then offers a wonderful analogy comparing today’s energy industry to 19th century agriculture. His point is that the real substantial progress in agricultural productivity was related to advances in machinery; but the second round of advances in the 20th Century—and what led to the “Green Revolution”—were biological in nature. Geneticists, for example, altered seeds and created crops that could grow larger, stronger and in more diverse climates and with less fertilizer.

Enriquez sees much the same thing happening in the energy industry. For instance, he sees companies such as Synthetic Genomic’s creating new “designer bacteria” that will eat sulfur and create cleaner coal and possibly even turn heavier crude oil into lighter, more valuable crude.

I have written before about BP’s recent deal with Synthetic Genomics, but I think it is just the start of the energy industry’s push into synthetic biology. Last week, Amyris Technologies received $70 million in venture capital funding to develop new biofuels. A sea change is coming in the energy industry, and executives in the field had better awaken to this fact and learn how to “jump the curve” or they will risk becoming victims of tomorrow’s “exponential economy.”

Jack Uldrich is a writer, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequenter speaker on future trends, innovation, change management and executive leadership to the energy and agricultural industries.

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