Farmers in the Netherlands believe algae could be the answer to the world's energy crisis.

But experts say it may be a decade before this simplest of all plants can be efficiently processed for fuel.

Set amid cornfields and pastures in western Holland is a shallow pool. It's rapidly turning green with algae, which is being harvested for animal feed, skin treatment, biodegradable plastics and biofuel.

In a warehouse 200 kilometers southeast of Amsterdam, a bioreactor is producing algae in pressure-cooker fashion that its manufacturer hopes will one day power jet aircraft.

Algae is the slime that clouds home aquariums, and can also plague lakes or oceans.

It can grow almost anywhere there is water and sunlight, and under the right conditions it can double its volume within hours.