Does it take more energy to make renewable fuels than is actually in the fuel?
EPA has concluded that ethanol and biodiesel generate more energy than the fossil fuel energy used to produce these fuels. Corn ethanol generates about 30 percent more energy than the fossil fuel energy used to produce it, while biodiesel generates about 50 percent more energy. It’s also important to consider how these fuels compare to the conventional gasoline and diesel fuels they’re replacing. Over the entire lifecycle of producing and using it, corn ethanol reduces petroleum use by over 90 percent compared to gasoline. Biodiesel reduces petroleum use by about 85 percent compared to diesel fuel.
