Algal biotechnology seems promising to be implemented as a decentralized urban energy system due to its high biomass productivity and its utilization of urban waste streams. Current literature on algal energy systems mainly focuses on algal strain, reactor, and process improvements, neglecting the systems level consequences arising when algal biotechnology is integrated into the urban system as a part of renewable energy resources. The overall performance of the integrated system can vary due to different availability levels of urban nutrient, solar and CO2