Monday, August 24, 2009 at 2:21:09 PM - by Nate Lew

A Massachusetts biotech company is said to be putting a whole new twist on the term "solar energy."

A Boston Globe article this week featured Joule Biotechnologies, which is apparently developing what is described as an unspecified "designer organism" that feeds on sunlight and carbon dioxide, emitting ethanol in the process.

The company reportedly calls its energy product SolarFuel and envisions it as a future way to power vehicles. According to the Globe, the company is keeping quiet about its technology for now, although its color is said to be green and is not algae.

Various media reports in recent months have noted that a number of companies are working on algae as a biofuel source that could compete with the various plant-based fuels that are also being developed.

Biofuel is likely to emerge as an increasingly important part of the nation's clean power strategy, which will also include wind and solar energy. One example of its potential can be found on the Navy's website, which reports that researchers are working on a biofuel for one of its fighter planes.