Order from Chaos: A Preliminary Protocol for Determining the EROI of Fuels

David J. Murphy, Charles A.S. Hall, Michael Dale and Cutler Cleveland
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David J. Murphy: Department of Geography and the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability, and Energy, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA
Charles A.S. Hall: Department of Environmental and Forest Biology and the Program in Environmental Science, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
Michael Dale: Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP), Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94305, USA
Cutler Cleveland: Geography and Environment, Boston University, Boston MA 02215, USA

Sustainability, 2011, vol. 3, issue 10, 1-20

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 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (108)

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