Zero is the Hero: Zero Net Energy Buildings Reach New Communities, Promising Savings, and Renewable Energy

Date: 2 Aug 2017 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

As energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies continue to improve both functionally and economically, Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings are spreading in communities around the country. The energy savings and environmental benefits of ZNE buildings, which produce as much energy using on-site renewables as they consume, are catching the attention of city leaders, regulators, and individuals … Read More

Report: The Net Energy of Ethanol Debate Must End

Date: 12 Sep 2005 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States, Press Release | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

A new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance offers a scathing critique of a 2005 study by biofuels critics, Professors David Pimentel and Tad Patzek. David Morris, ILSR’s vice president and author of the study, The Carbohydrate Economy, Biofuels and the Net Energy Debate, stresses that “A carefully designed biofuels strategy may be the answer not only to our energy problems but to another global dilemma as well: the plight of agriculture.”

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How Much Energy Does It Take To Make A Gallon Of Ethanol?

Date: 12 Aug 1995 | posted in: agriculture, Energy, environment | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

One of the most controversial issues relating to ethanol is the question of what environmentalists call the “net energy” of ethanol production. Simply put, is more energy used to grow and process the raw material into ethanol than is contained in the ethanol itself? In 1992, ILSR addressed this question. Our report, based on actual energy consumption data from farmers and ethanol plant operators, was widely disseminated and its methodology has been imitated by a number of other researchers. This paper updates the data in that original report and addresses some of the concerns that some reviewers of the original report expressed. … Read More