sustainability - SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Sustainability 2011 , 3 , 1796-1809; doi:10.3390/su3101796

sustainability

ISSN 2071-1050

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

Review

A Review of the Past and Current State of EROI Data

Ajay K. Gupta * and Charles A.S. Hall

Graduate Program in Environmental Science, College of Environmental Science and Forestry,

State University of New York, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA; E-Mails: [email protected]

* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected];

Tel.: +1-315-470-6812; Fax: 315- 470 -6934.

Received: 11 June 2011; in revised form: 1 August 2011 / Accepted: 5 August 2011/

Published: 10 October 2011

Abstract: This is a review of the literature available on data for the EROI (prior to this

special issue) of the following 12 sources of fuel/energy: oil and natural gas, coal, tar

sands, shale oil, nuclear, wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, wave/tidal and corn ethanol.

Unfortunately, we found that few studies have been undertaken since the 1980s, and such

as have been done are often marked more by advocacy than objectivity. The most recent

summary of work and data on the EROI of fuels was conducted in the summer of 2007 at

SUNY ESF and appeared on The Oil Drum website and in a readable summary by Richard

Heinberg. This paper summarizes the findings of that study, and also those preceding and

subsequent to it where available. It also summarizes issues raised by some concerning the

findings of these studies and with the calculations within. While there are many who

believe that such EROI studies are critical to understanding our financial and social future

there seems to be very little interest by governments and industries in supporting this

research or in using or promulgating such research as has been done. We view this as

critical as our main fuels are progressively depleted and as we are faced with making

extremely important decisions on a very meager analytical and data base, and with few

scientists trained to cut through the reams of insufficiently analyzed energy advocacy

saturating our media and the blogosphere.

Keywords: energy return on investment; EROI data; EROI of fuels

OPEN ACCESS

Reprinted fromSustainability. Cite as: Gupta, A.K.; Hall, C.A. A Review of the Past and Current State
of EROI Data.Sustainability 2011 , 3 , 1796-1809; doi:10.3390/su3101796.

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