October 21, 2010
Energy Gains Mean Ethanol Wins
Today, during a major announcement at the National Press Club, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack reiterated the Administration’s commitment to biofuels as a way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs and improve our environment.
During the Secretary’s speech, he mentioned that there have been efficiency gains in ethanol production. In fact, according to a new report out of the Office of Energy Policy and New Uses at the USDA, there have been significant net energy gains from converting corn into ethanol over the last two decades that have made ethanol one of the cleanest burning fuels on the market. For every Btu put into creating ethanol, we get 2.3 Btu’s in return—a significant increase from the 1.76 BTUs produced in 2004.
This considerable energy gain shows that ethanol production has made the transition from a moderate energy gain over the last two decades to an energy gain in the present and there is still room for improvement. Every day, ethanol producers are developing technological improvements to increase efficiency, reduce water use, and boost the amount of energy derived from corn kernels or from cellulosic biomass. Ethanol is not a “someday” fuel. It is the renewable, clean-burning alternative we have to gasoline today.
To read the full USDA study, click here
