The energy balance for biodiesel is better than ever.
At a press conference this morning in Orlando, a new analysis was unveiled that shows the energy balance of biodiesel is a positive ratio of 3.5-to-1. That’s an increase from 3.2 to 1 determined by the Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and USDA in 1998.
The new research conducted at the University of Idaho in cooperation with USDA.
“The bottom line is that the energy balance of biodiesel has definitely improved in the last decade,†says University of Idaho Department Head of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Jon Van Gerpen, who credits Assistant Professor Dev Shrestha and graduate student Anup Pradhan for their work on the study. “The increase in soybean yields and a decrease in herbicide use greatly contributed to the increased energy balance. Meanwhile, energy used for crushing soybeans is significantly lower than what was reported in the NREL study.â€
You can listen to an interview with Van Gerpen here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/nbb/nbb-08-van-gerpen.mp3]