A UC scientist, Tad Patzek, has raised the issue that ethanol uses more fuel to produce than it outputs when consumed. I find this as one more reason to convert our monetary standard from nothing to energy. That should stop people from considering such figments of their imagination such as:

"So what if we have to spend 2 BTUs for each BTU of alcohol fuel produced?" reads an editorial in the Offgrid Online energy newsletter. "Since we are after a portable fuel, we might be willing to spend more energy to get it."

Because such use of energy will hit them straight in the pocket book, and the whole supply chain will have its energy consumption completely measured so studies like Tad's can be done without error.