As part of the "Emerald Forest" concept proposed in previous work by the authors (Teymour. Al-Hallaj, Eltayeb. & Khalil. 2009), photobioreactors for large-scale algae production are developed. Optical waveguides are used to overcome light limitations, and to maximize light collection and optimize light distribution. The finite volume discrete ordinates (FVDO) method is used to model light transport efficiency by different designs of waveguides that can be used to transport light, or change its direction and intensity, as a first step in the design of an efficient waveguide-based algae photobioreactor. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.