For decades, macroalgae species of the genus Ulva (Chlorophyta)have received interest as biomass sources for food and feed purposes, due to its high contents of vitamins, trace metals, and dietary fibers .

Recently, global warming issues and limited supply of fossil fuels has drawn attention to algae as energy crop as well. A promising and yet realistic estimate of the production potential of Ulva lactuca cultivated in a northern latitude land-based facility is by Bruhn et al. (2011) who found this to be 45 t DW ha−1 y−1 corresponding to three to five times the production of conventional energy crops, such as wheat straw, willow, Mischanthus, or maize.