American Ethanol and NASCAR: An Introduction

[growthenergy]

Actually, the most recent analysis completed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows a net energy gain in the production of ethanol. Calculating all inputs – both in producing the corn and then again at the plant in producing the ethanol, even the energy that goes into shipping the grain and the fuel – ethanol is a net energy provider. For every 1 Btu that goes into producing ethanol, you get 2.3 Btus in return.

[Brian86992DH]

So I guess they forgot to mention how every step of creating ethanol requires fossil energy, which comes from natural gas. The US has been a net importer of natural gas since the 80's. After energy calculations are done ethanol requires 29% more input energy than output. So everyone who thinks they're heroic for using a gallon of ethanol, congratulations you've just used over a gallon of fossil fuels.