Cultivation of microalgae on artificial light comes at a cost

We calculated that current application of artificial light will increase production costs by 25.3 $ per kilogram of dry-weight biomass. From these calculations, it was determined that 4% to 6% of energy from electric input is fixed as chemical energy in microalgae biomass. Energy loss and increased production cost may be acceptable in the production of high value products, but in general they should be avoided. Microalgae cultivation programs should therefore focus on employing sunlight.