Sustainability 2011, 3(10), 1773-1777; doi:10.3390/su3101773
Editorial

Introduction to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment)

Charles A.S. Hallemail
Departments of Environmental and Forest Biology and Environmental Studies, and Graduate Program in Environmental Science, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, State University of New York Syracuse, New York, NY 13210, USA
Received: 10 August 2011 / Accepted: 17 August 2011 / Published: 7 October 2011
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment))
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Abstract: Energy Return on Investment (EROI) refers to how much energy is returned from one unit of energy invested in an energy-producing activity. It is a critical parameter for understanding and ranking different fuels. There were a number of studies on EROI three decades ago but relatively little work since. Now there is a whole new interest in EROI as fuels get increasingly expensive and as we attempt to weigh alternative energies against traditional ones. This special volume brings together a whole series of high quality new studies on EROI, as well as many papers that struggle with the meaning of changing EROI and its impact on our economy. One overall conclusion is that the quality of fuels is at least as important in our assessment as is the quantity. I argue that many of the contemporary changes in our economy are related directly to changing EROI as our premium fuels are increasingly depleted.
Keywords: energy; EROI; economic; fuels; quality of fuels

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MDPI and ACS Style

Hall, C.A. Introduction to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment). Sustainability 2011, 3, 1773-1777.

AMA Style

Hall CA. Introduction to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment). Sustainability. 2011; 3(10):1773-1777.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hall, Charles A.S. 2011. "Introduction to Special Issue on New Studies in EROI (Energy Return on Investment)." Sustainability 3, no. 10: 1773-1777.

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