More Data to Support Corn-Based Ethanol

A new study shows corn-based ethanol helps reduce greenhouse gas and provides more energy than it takes to produce the fuel. In fact - the study says greenhouse gas emissions savings from ethanol production and use have more than doubled between 1995 and the projected level in 2015. The report - commissioned by IEA Bioenergy - says that indicates the danger of making policy decisions based on historical data without accounting for learning experiences and the potential gains that can be expected as industries develop.

Reductions in greenhouse gas emissions - according to the study - have grown from approximately 26-percent in 1995 to over 39-percent today. Projected reductions will reach nearly 55-percent by 2015 thanks to new technology, process efficiencies and improved yields. As for ethanol’s energy balance - for 2005 the balance ratio was estimated at 1:1.42. That means every unit of energy used to produce ethanol returned 1.42 units of usable energy to the consumer. That ratio is expected to reach 1:1.93 by 2015 - a 55-percent increase in energy efficiency in just 10 years.