Which of the following currently has the highest energy returned on investment (EROI)?
A)nuclear fission
B)nuclear fusion
C)petroleum
D)corn -based ethanol
E)hydropower

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to recent studies, hydropower has the highest EROI among the given options, with an average EROI of around 50:1. This means that for every unit of energy used to produce hydropower (such as building a dam or turbine), 50 units of energy are returned. This is much higher than the EROI for petroleum (around 18:1), corn-based ethanol (around 1.5-2.5:1), nuclear fission (around 5-15:1), and nuclear fusion (not yet commercially viable). Therefore, hydropower is the best choice in terms of energy efficiency.

Which of the Following Currently Has the Highest Energy Returned