sustainability - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Sustainability 2011 , 3 , 1888-1907; doi:10.3390/su

sustainability

ISSN 2071-

http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Article

Order from Chaos: A Preliminary Protocol for Determining the

EROI of Fuels

David J. Murphy 1,*, Charles A.S. Hall^2 , Michael Dale^3 and Cutler Cleveland^4

(^1) Department of Geography and the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and
Energy, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA; E-Mail: [email protected]
(^2) Department of Environmental and Forest Biology and the Program in Environmental Science,
College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; E-Mail: [email protected]
(^3) Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA;
E-Mail: [email protected]
(^4) Geography and Environment, Boston University, Boston MA 02215, USA; E-Mail: [email protected]

• Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected];
  Tel.: +1-815-753-6834, Fax: +1-815-753-6872.
  Received: 28 July 2011; in revised form: 1 August 2011 / Accepted: 5 August 2011 /
  Published: 17 October 2011
  Abstract: The main objective of this manuscript is to provide a formal methodology,
  structure, and nomenclature for EROI analysis that is both consistent, so that all EROI
  numbers across various processes can be compared, and also flexible, so that changes or
  additions to the universal formula can focus analyses on specific areas of concern. To
  accomplish this objective we address four areas that are of particular interest within EROI
  analysis: (1) boundaries of the system under analysis, (2) energy quality corrections,
  (3) energy-economic conversions, and (4) alternative EROI statistics. Lastly, we present
  step-by-step instructions outlining how to perform an EROI analysis.
  Keywords: energy; EROI; protocol; boundaries; energy quality; economics
  OPEN ACCESS
  Reprinted fromSustainability. Cite as: Murphy, D.J.; Hall, C.A.; Dale, M.; Cleveland, C. Order from
  Chaos: A Preliminary Protocol for Determining the EROI of Fuels.Sustainability 2011 , 3 , 1888-1907;
  doi:10.3390/su3101888.

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