NOVELTY - System (100) for growing algae comprises photobioreactor (115) containing media, and is subjected to environmental condition(s), and has operation parameters that are adjusted to affect algal growth in the media; modeling unit comprising algal growth model related to growth and constituents of the algae in media to environmental conditions and parameters; control unit to access modeling unit and determine parameters based on algal growth model and to generate a control signal indicating the parameters; and actuator to receive the signal and adjust the parameters based on the signal.    USE - For growing algae (claimed).    ADVANTAGE - The static and dynamic models are used to improve the productivity of bioreactors with an emphasis on growing microalgae in a photobioreactor (PBR). The algal growth model captures algal growth dynamics inside a closed reactor, which is used to dynamically compensate for changing conditions, while the model is independent of style of bioreactor. The present system replaces sensors with models, maximizes performance (utilization and production), predicts future events and dynamically compensates ahead of time, and adapt to changing conditions. The system maximizes biomass production (where the end product is pharmaceutical product, health food, feed additive, cosmetics and/or research medicine), and lipid production (where the end product is neutral lipids that are converted into biofuels).    DETAILED DESCRIPTION - System (100) for growing algae comprises photobioreactor (115) containing media, and is subjected to environmental condition(s), and has operation parameters that are adjusted to affect algal growth in the media; modeling module to calculate future growth of algae within the photobioreactor with an algal growth model related to growth and constituents of the algae in media to environmental conditions and parameters; control unit to access modeling unit and determine parameters based on algal growth model and to generate a control signal indicating the parameters; and actuator to receive the signal and adjust the parameters based on the signal. The operation parameters comprise light and media pH, and carbon delivery rate to the photobioreactor, where the modeling unit generates the control signal according to a timing schedule for carbon delivery. The environmental conditions comprise light, temperature, algal culture density, and media pH, where the operation parameters comprise carbon delivery rate, media flow rate, and harvesting rate. The system further comprises a harvesting module to calculate a harvest time at which a future growth of algae equals a predetermined threshold growth of algae and to generate a harvest signal indicating the harvest time; at least one sensor to detect the environmental conditions; and an error indicator configured to receive the error signal and to express the error signal. The photobioreactor is a flat panel photobioreactor; and comprised of a flexible film. The algal growth model comprises a model of water chemistry and a model of lighting. The sensory network includes at least one dry mass sensor, PAR sensor, optical density sensor, dissolved oxygen sensor, PH sensor, thermometer, and dissolved carbon dioxide sensor. The error indicator is selected from an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and an audiovisual alarm. INDEPENDENT CLAIMS are included for the following:    (1) controlling algae growth in a flat panel photobioreactor involving sensing at least one environmental condition to which a flexible film photobioreactor is subjected; calculating future growth of algae within the flexible film photobioreactor with an algal growth model, the algal growth model relating growth of the algae to the environmental conditions and to operation parameters affecting algal growth; selecting the operation parameters based on the calculation; and adjusting an actuator to achieve the operation parameters;    (2) a photobioreactor comprising a network of sensors configured to sense a set of conditions associated with the photobioreactor; a model of the photobioreactor that predicts algae growth from the set of conditions and a set of input variables that include carbon supply rate; a carbon supply unit with an actuator to control the carbon supply rate into the photobioreactor; and a determination unit that uses the model of the photobioreactor to determine the set of input variables that will result in a desired algae growth and adjusts the actuator to set the carbon supply rate based on the determined set of input variables;    (3) method for algae harvest scheduling involving sensing at least one environmental conditions to which a flat panel photobioreactor is subjected; calculating future growth of algae within the flat panel photobioreactor with an algal growth model, the algal growth model relating growth of the algae to the environmental conditions; determining a harvest time at which a calculated future growth of algae equals a predetermined threshold growth of algae; and generating a harvest signal indicating the harvest time;    (4) diagnosing errors within a bioreactor involving receiving from a sensory network at least one signals indicating current conditions associated with a photobioreactor; generating predicted output signals which predict future conditions associated with the photobioreactor by using a model of algae growth of the photobioreactor; determining if a possible malfunction exists by comparing the predicted output signals with the current conditions; and generating error indicators based on the determination; and    (5) method for adaptive control of a photobioreactor involving performing the steps of sensing, calculating, selecting and adjusting; measuring an actual growth of algae within the photobioreactor; and updating at least a portion of the algal growth model based on the measurement, such that a calculated growth of algae according to the algal growth model more closely resembles the actual growth of algae.    DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING(S) - The figure shows a photobioreactor system with two simultaneous control loops, one for gas, one for liquid, which utilizes growth models for calculating feedforward terms.    Integrated system (100)    Photobioreactor (115)    Gas control system (120)    Liquid control system (150)    Air supply (170)    Carbon dioxide supply (175)