Now, researchers at Michigan State University have developed a fiber-optic-inspired technology that distributes sunlight more evenly throughout algae cultivation systems, increasing biomass productivity by as much as six times in outdoor testing. The researchers believe the technology could benefit a wide range of applications that rely on photosynthetic organisms, including biofuel production, carbon capture and sustainable manufacturing. One longstanding challenge in algae farming has been getting enough sunlight to all the algae inside a cultivation system. In outdoor testing under natural sunlight, the fibers significantly increased photosynthetic efficiency and boosted biomass productivity by as much as six times compared with conventional cultivation systems. More efficient algae cultivation could help lower the energy required to manufacture renewable products while improving systems designed to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.