Despite the demonstrated potential for domestic, sustainable energy production, American regulatory frameworks and inconsistent government commitment are actively hindering the development of a national kelp-based biofuel industry, leaving the nation reliant on volatile global energy markets. Scientists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., are studying kelp and other seaweed to develop sustainable biofuels for American transport, utilizing a process known as hydrothermal liquefaction that produces fuel from kelp using heat and pressure.
Scott Lindell, a marine scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, stated that new sustainable energy sources are needed, adding, “There’s hardly anything simpler, or anything that grows quite as fast and as sustainably, as seaweed.” While electricity from solar and wind can power cars, ships and aircraft largely depend on liquid fuels derived from oil or gasoline, which emit carbon dioxide. Biofuel refined from organic material like plants or algae is presented as a possible alternative.
Existing biofuels, such as corn-derived ethanol, function mainly as gasoline additives and require agricultural land, fresh water, and pesticides. In contrast, kelp can be cultivated in the ocean with minimal resources. Although any bioethanol, including that from kelp, releases hazardous gases like acetaldehyde when burned, it produces fewer greenhouse gases overall than petroleum-based fuels. Researchers, including Lindell, have successfully bred kelp varieties that, in some cases, produce up to three times more biomass than conventional strains, demonstrating the viability of this domestic resource.
Lindell’s MARINER funding, or Macroalgae Research Inspiring Novel Energy Resources, concluded 2 years ago in 2024 after six years. This program, which included projects ranging from developing heat-resistant kelp strains to studies on seaweed genomes, made progress, including increased kelp yields. The Department of Energy often supports exploratory, high-risk projects, yet federal research funding opportunities have been fewer and delayed since 2024 (2 years ago).
National Energy Autonomy Stalled
Government interest in biofuels has been inconsistent, mirroring a similar feasibility-testing venture that began 50s ago in the 1970s and was terminated once oil prices stabilized. Lindell remarked, “I don’t think things have changed incredibly since the first oil crisis,” and warned, “We’ll come to the realization that things have shifted in the marketplace,” and, “and we can’t squeeze any more oil out of the earth in 30 years’ time.” This underscores a persistent national vulnerability to global energy dependencies.
A middle market for kelp has yet to materialize, with current aquaculture farms remaining small and primarily supplying restaurants, cosmetics companies, and fertilizer producers. Oliver Dixon, a shellfish farmer in Point Judith, Rhode Island, grows kelp to supplement his oyster business. He expects to harvest approximately 10,000 pounds (4,500 kilograms) this month (same year), selling most to local restaurants and seafood markets. Dixon noted, “The buyers come in and out, it’s pretty discouraging,” highlighting the lack of a stable domestic market for a potentially strategic resource.
Dixon’s 9-acre (3.6-hectare) farm is hundreds of times smaller than what would be required for biofuel production, and without proven demand from the energy sector, he has no plans for expansion. This illustrates how the absence of a national strategy for energy independence directly impacts local producers and limits the growth of a domestic industry.
Bureaucratic Blockades
Expanding kelp farming faces significant regulatory hurdles in the United States, where coastal waters are largely prioritized for recreation, fishing, and conservation. This makes it difficult to obtain permits for large aquaculture projects, effectively stifling national resource development. Dixon, for instance, cannot obtain a permit to keep his farm infrastructure in the water year-round, forcing him to remove his lines and anchors each spring and reinstall them in the fall.
By contrast, countries in Asia often prioritize extensive seaweed farms, sometimes covering entire bays, demonstrating a clear national commitment to strategic resource development. Moving farms further offshore in the U.S. could allow for larger operations but introduces engineering and environmental challenges, including the risk of entangling marine animals and the possibility that farmed kelp could compete with other marine life for nutrients. Hauke Kite-Powell, an engineer and economic analyst at Woods Hole and an ocean industry policy expert, stated, “We don’t yet have a full understanding of what all the ecological side effects of very large-scale ocean farming might be,” which contributes to the bureaucratic inertia.
Elite Disinterest and Global Dependencies
Bren Smith, an ocean farmer and co-founder of GreenWave, a nonprofit supporting ocean farmers, argued that the issue is not a lack of demand but where kelp makes economic sense. He stated that kelp is currently more viable in products like cosmetics or food, rather than fuel, which he considers one of its lowest-value uses. Smith criticized the focus on fuel production, stating, “Competing with the most technically advanced, subsidized industry on the globe, the fossil fuel industry,” indicating how entrenched elite interests can impede alternative national energy solutions.
Despite these obstacles, scientists like Lindell remain confident their work will eventually be applied to a biofuel industry. Lindell’s lab continues to study and breed more than 2,600 strains of sugar kelp from across New England, driven by the understanding that volatile fuel prices and the finite nature of resources like oil point to an eventual, necessary transition towards national energy self-sufficiency.