What is the Net Energy Produced from Corn Ethanol?
Answering the question of how much net energy gain is realized from corn ethanol can be somewhat convoluted. Scientists, the American government, farmers and environmentalists all have a different opinion. Finding the truth may be hard, especially given the technical aspect of the topic. Still, presenting both sides of the issue should help those who want to make an informed decision about the benefits of corn ethanol. The U.S. government, which has commissioned studies on the issue, says that the issue is clear. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that corn ethanol produces 34 percent more energy than is used to create it. However, even the USDA study notes that it only includes the energy used in creating the corn and processing it into ethanol. Even then, only primary costs are considered. Secondary costs, such as the energy used to build ethanol processing plants and the equipment to haul ethanol are not included because quantifying such numbers would be difficult. In
