New Study Shows Ethanol Beats Gas in Net Energy Race
Better Environmental Solutions issued the following press release on the comparison of ethanol and gasoline:
Shows ethanol up to 9 times more energy efficient than gasoline
Madison, WI—As Wisconsin legislators consider AB 15, the Cleaner Fuels bill to give state drivers the choice of 10% ethanol in regular gas, a new study from the prestigious journal Environmental Science and Technology shows ethanol is more efficient than gasoline in the energy rate of return and can help meet our energy challenges.
The study, “Ethanol’s Energy Return on Investment: A Survey of the Literature 1990-Present,” reviewed studies over the last 15 years on the net energy rate of return for gasoline, and ethanol from corn and cellulose. It compared the existing studies based on the energy rate of return, the amount of renewable energy that comes from the fuel divided by the non-renewable energy put into production. It showed that gasoline is an energy loser containing only 76% of the original energy due to drilling, refining and distribution losses. This data is summarized on the chart below and the study abstract is at the end of the release.
Read the release here.
