Energy return on investment (EROI)

Charles A.S. Hall

Chapter 51 in Elgar Encyclopedia of Energy Economics, 2025, pp 196-202 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Energy return on investment (EROI) is a concept used to define and evaluate energy resources. It was originally derived for use in biological situations – for example, to examine the energy return from animal migration – but has been used increasingly to examine the quality,and changes in the quality, of energy resources for human society. It is used most properly to evaluate energy at the point of capture from nature but has also been used in other ways. This entry examines a number of issues that have sometimes led to confusion for those trying to use EROI, including quality corrections, boundaries, and comprehensiveness of the denominator, and makes some suggestions as to how they might be treated to decrease that confusion. It concludes by suggesting that EROI issues are likely to become increasingly important in the future as EROI of traditional fuels declines and there is an attempted transition to renewable fuels.

Keywords: Energy; Energy Costs; Energy Gains; Net Energy; Fuels (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
ISBN: 9781035310364
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