How much energy does it take to make a gallon of ethanol?
 
USDA Report: Ethanol has a large, growing positive energy balance Ethanol Provides More Than 6 Btus of Energy for 1 Btu of Liquid Fuels Used The full report can be found at: http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer721/AER721.PDF Washington, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released its new study of the energy efficiency of ethanol production. The report, "The Energy Balance of Corn Ethanol: An Update," concludes that ethanol production yields 34% more energy than is used in growing and harvesting grain and distilling it into ethanol. The study cites increased corn yields, lower energy use in the fertilizer industry, and advances in fuel conversion technologies that have enhanced the economic and technical feasibility of producing ethanol. The study is an update of a previous USDA study completed in 1995, which demonstrated a 24% net energy gain. In addition to providing a 34% positive energy gain, ethanol production utilizes mainly domestically available energy, such as coal and natural gas. Therefore for every 1 Btu of liquid fuel used to produce ethanol, there is a 6.34 Btu output. RFA president Bob Dinneen made the following statement concerning the report: The new USDA energy balance study concludes that ethanol has a positive energy balance, that its growing, and that it will continue to improve in the future. But thats hardly surprising. Literally every organization conducting an energy balance study of ethanol over the past decade has concluded the very same thing -with one exception. With a positive energy balance, ethanol is clearly the premier environmental liquid transportation fuel - harnessing the power of the sun and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And by displacing over 6 Btus of liquid fuels for every Btu used during its production, ethanol clearly helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil. As a domestic fuel using U.S. grain as a feedstock, ethanol boosts the U.S. economy - especially in rural America. Only Dr. Pimentel disagrees with this analysis. But his outdated work has been refuted by experts from entities as diverse as the USDA, DOE, Argonne National Laboratory, Michigan State University, and the Colorado School of Mines. While the opponents of ethanol will no doubt continue to peddle Pimentels baseless charges, they are absolutely without credibility. _______________________________________ Institute for Local-Self Reliance (ILSR), August 1995 Click here for the full report One of the most controversial issues relating to ethanol is the question of what environmentalists call the "net energy" of ethanol production. Simply put, is more energy used to grow and process the raw material into ethanol than is contained in the ethanol itself? In 1992, ILSR addressed this question. Our report, based on actual energy consumption data from farmers and ethanol plant operators, was widely disseminated and its methodology has been imitated by a number of other researchers. This paper updates the data in that original report and addresses some of the concerns that some reviewers of the original report expressed. Our analysis again concludes that the production of ethanol from corn is a positive net energy generator. Indeed, the numbers look even more attractive now than they did in 1992. More energy is contained in the ethanol and the other by-products of corn processing than is used to grow the corn and convert it into ethanol and by-products. If corn farmers use state-of-the-art, energy efficient farming techniques and ethanol plants integrate state-of-the-art production processes, then the amount of energy contained in a gallon of ethanol and the other by-products is more than twice the energy used to grow the corn and convert it into ethanol. As the ethanol industry expands, it may increasingly rely on more abundant and potentially lower-cost cellulosic crops (i.e. fast growing trees, grasses, etc.). When that occurs, the net energy of producing ethanol will become even more attractive. Further Reading: Click here for another report on the net energy gains of ethanol fuel, as well as data on greenhouse gas reductions. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer721/AER721.PDFhttp://www.carbohydrateeconomy.org/library/admin/uploadedfiles/How_Much_Energy_Does_it_Take_to_Make_a_Gallon_.htmlhttp://www.transportation.anl.gov/research/systems_analysis/fuel_ethanol.htmlmake_your_own.htmlhow_pure.htmlconvert_engine.htmlorder_the_plans.htmlfaq.htmlshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7