Most types of algae require some amount of light, and because artificial lighting can be expensive to run, it may be best to do what you can with the available sunlight that you have. Most types of commercially grown algae contain chlorophyll, which means they require light so that they can generate the lipids and sugars they use for food. It’s this photosynthetic process that makes algae rich in proteins and lipids that make it a valuable crop. One of the primary things to understand about algae is that many varieties are not like most plants you’ll encounter elsewhere. The majority of plants actually require periods of darkness to produce flowers and fruit. Many types of algae, however, will continually reproduce if given enough light round the clock.
Because artificial lighting leads to high electricity bills, you’ll need to balance whether the outlay for round the clock lighting is profitable or not. If not, then another way to optimize algae production would be to select for more specialized algae varieties that flourish best when they do receive periods of darkness. While rare, there are some algae species that will grow with no light at all, which is another possibility to consider if you’d like to avoid using artificial lights.
