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Biodiesel is even better than we thought in 1998, now returns 3.5 units of energy

It's one of those numbers you hear a lot in green car circles: biodiesel returns 3.2 units of energy for every unit (of fossil fuel) used to produce it. That number comes from a 1998 lifecycle inventory study (PDF) by the Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Lab and the USDA. An updated study, conducted in 2007 and to be published soon by the USDA and the University of Idaho, has found that the return on energy investment is actually 3.5 units for every one used. The first obvious question is, well, why was the first study wrong? It ... Read more →

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