University of Nebraska-Lincoln agronomist and chair of the Nebraska Center For Energy Sciences Research, Dr. Kenneth Cassman, shared his research and insights into corn ethanol's current and future role in the domestic energy equation.The United States is the world's leading ethanol producer, with production of over 9 billion gallons last year. The 2007 Renewable Fuels Standard calls for 36 billion gallons of ethanol by 2022, much of that from the 1-2 punch of corn ethanol furnished by Nebraska and, ugh, Iowa.
Cassman and his colleagues at UNL have developed the BESS or Biofuel Energy Systems Simulator, a software tool to calculate energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource requirements of corn-to-ethanol production systems. Try it out, here
Finally, stay tuned to legislative news as Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson recently co-sponsored legislation encouraging a higher blend of ethanol (from 10% to 15%) to be sold at gas stations nationwide.
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