Intel Grows Algae On Its Factory's Roof

The word 'green' is being used to denote a lot of things these days, especially on the technology market, and it looks like Intel is ready to add a new meaning to the word, using algae, among other things.

Green technology has been getting more and more widespread but it looks like it wasn't widespread enough for Intel.

Apparently, the company is taking things a bit more literally this time instead of working with the meaning of “energy efficient.”

Basically, the outfit decided to harness the power of algae at a fabrication facility (fab) located in the Ocotillo campus in Arizona.

According to a recent blog post, the workers there discovered that the carbon dioxide emissions of the fab could be used to grow algae.

This, in itself, would normally not be too much of a discovery, but it brought about the appearance of a certain idea classifiable as most lucrative.

For one, the algae can be used in the creation of clean-burning biofuel, meaning that carbon emissions of burning fossil fuels can be displaced.

In other words, the project will not only give Intel a new fuel source, but it will actually reduce the environment footprint of the plant as a whole.

All things considered, the name chosen by the employee team that came up with the idea (“Zero Emissions Fab”) does make quite a bit of sense.

Intel's blog post also made a point of bringing to people's attention the fact that, unlike dying algae that smells foul, living algae of this sort actually has a clean smell.

The project will be part of the Santa Clara, California-based company's Sustainability in Action program which allows employees to get funding for building upon ideas of environmental sustainability.

What remains to be seen is what people come up with next.