Improvements in Ethanol Efficiency
A recent report clearly illustrates the energy improvements being made at ethanol biorefineries across country.
According to the report by John Christianson, CPA of the independent accounting firm Christianson & Associates, the average amount of energy as measured by British Thermal Units (BTUs) required to produce ethanol and a livestock feed co-product across all ethanol production technologies was reduced by 13.5 percent between 2004 and 2007.
The most efficient biorefineries demonstrated an even more dramatic reduction 19 percent reduction in BTU energy requirements, today using fewer than 21,000 BTUs per gallon of ethanol produced. In addition, electricity usage at ethanol biorefineries also declined. The Christianson report shows a 13% reduction in electricity consumption at the average ethanol facility.