 |
||||||||
|
|
|
 |
|
||||
|
|
|||||||
 |
|
|
||||||
|
||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||
|
 |
|||||||
|
||||||||
Replacing Imported Oil | Net Energy Balance | Fuel Cells
Replacing imported oil
The United States imports about 60 percent of the oil it needs—and that figure is expected to grow to 77 percent by 2025. That puts America in the dangerous position of depending on some unstable parts of the world for more than 3/4 of our primary energy source. Increasing the amount of ethanol in our nation’s fuel supply reduces our dependence on imported oil—and replaces limited petroleum resources with renewable energy we grow and manufacture right here at home.
For more information on energy efficiency and America's dependence on foreign oil, visit:
Replacing Imported Oil | Net Energy Balance | Fuel Cells
Ethanol creates more energy
It takes energy to produce energy. The key is to get more energy out of the final product than it takes to make it. That concept is called the “net energy balance”—and ethanol is clearly a net energy winner.
Recent studies have shown that the production of ethanol results in more energy than it takes to produce it. In June 2004, the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its 2002 analysis of the issue and determined that the net energy balance of ethanol production is 1.67 to 1. (For every 100 BTUs of energy used to make ethanol, 167 BTUs of ethanol are produced.) In 2002, USDA had concluded that the ratio was 1.35 to 1.
The USDA findings have been confirmed by additional studies conducted by the University of Nebraska and Argonne National Laboratory.
These figures take into account the energy it takes to plant, grow, harvest and transport the corn used in ethanol production—as well as the manufacture and distribution of the ethanol itself. Consider as well that ethanol plants don’t just make ethanol—they make sweeteners, livestock feed, corn oil and other valuable products. So the energy that goes into making ethanol is being maximized by creating food and feed as well—all through a process that is both renewable and sustainable.
Ethanol production has become more efficient in recent years. In fact, we can now produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol from one bushel of corn—up from 2.5 gallons just a few years ago.
Replacing Imported Oil | Net Energy Balance | Fuel Cells
Fuel cells may be the next step in engine technology—and ethanol will likely play an important role here as well. As a hydrogen-rich liquid, ethanol offers a practical and efficient solution as a hydrogen source for new fuel cell applications.
For more information on fuel cells, visit:
