Ethanol and biodiesel do not provide nearly as much energy as it takes to create them, according to a new analysis from Cornell and the University of California at Berkeley.
Ethanol production in the United States does not benefit the nation's energy security, its agriculture, the economy or the environment, according to the study conducted by David Pimentel from Cornell University and Tad Patzek from the University of California at Berkely.
The two researchers conclude the country would be better off investing in solar, wind and hydrogen energy.
The research study indicates that the ethanol process requires 29 percent more fossil energy to convert corn into fuel than the fuel it eventually produces. The study also finds it takes 27 percent more energy to convert soybeans into biodiesel fuel and twice the amount for sunflower plants.
Supporters of biofuels argue they are environmentally friendly and burn cleaner than fossil fuels. Ethanol advocates contend the fuel reduces U.S. dependence on foreign oil and offers farmers additional markets for their products.
Ethanol is an additive blended with gasoline to reduce auto emissions and increase octane levels. Its use has grown rapidly since 2004, when the federal government banned the use of the additive MTBE to enhance the cleaner burning of fuel.
About 3.6 billion gallons of ethanol were produced last year in the United States, according to the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group.
The ethanol program also cost $3 billion in state and federal government subsidies that go toward production each year.
