Energy Return on Investment (EROI)
EROI measures energy delivered per unit of energy invested. Below ~5:1, an energy source struggles to sustain complex industrial society. Data from Hall, Brockway, Diesendorf & academic meta-analyses.
Highest EROI
200:1
Large-Scale Hydro
Lowest EROI
1:1
Corn Ethanol
Declining Trend
4
sources declining
Improving Trend
3
sources improving
EROI Range by Energy Source
Minimum viability threshold (~5:1)
EROI Certainty vs Magnitude
Bubble size = max EROI. Y-axis = range width (higher = more uncertainty).
Detailed EROI Data
| Source | Category | EROI Range | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conventional Oil (US domestic) | Fossil | 10–18:1 | |
| Conventional Oil (imported, Middle East) | Fossil | 20–40:1 | |
| Deepwater Oil | Fossil | 7–14:1 | |
| Oil Sands (Canada) | Fossil | 3–6:1 | |
| Shale Oil (tight oil, US) | Fossil | 4–10:1 | |
| Conventional Natural Gas | Fossil | 20–40:1 | |
| Shale Gas (tight gas, US) | Fossil | 10–20:1 | |
| Coal (surface mining) | Fossil | 30–80:1 | |
| Nuclear (light water reactor) | Nuclear | 14–75:1 | |
| Hydroelectric (large-scale) | Renewable | 40–200:1 | |
| Wind (onshore) | Renewable | 18–34:1 | |
| Wind (offshore) | Renewable | 12–22:1 | |
| Solar PV (utility-scale) | Renewable | 8–25:1 | |
| Solar CSP (concentrating solar) | Renewable | 9–20:1 | |
| Geothermal (hydrothermal) | Renewable | 9–25:1 | |
| Corn Ethanol (US) | Biofuel | 1–2:1 | |
| Sugarcane Ethanol (Brazil) | Biofuel | 8–12:1 | |
| Biodiesel (soy, rapeseed) | Biofuel | 2–4:1 | |
| Wood Biomass / Pellets | Biofuel | 3–8:1 |
Biofuel EROI is debated — values depend heavily on system boundaries, co-product allocation, and feedstock. Ranges shown reflect published literature.
EROI Thresholds
< 3:1
Below minimum threshold. Cannot sustain complex society. Corn ethanol, oil sands marginal.
5–15:1
Adequate for basic industrial economy. Most shale oil, offshore wind, solar PV fall here.
> 20:1
High surplus enables complex economy. Conventional oil/gas, coal, hydro, onshore wind.
Sources: Hall et al. (2014), Brockway et al. (2019), Diesendorf & Wiedmann (2020), IEA, NREL. EROI values are point-of-generation unless noted. Extended EROI (incl. storage & grid integration costs) may be 20–40% lower. Sources: Hall et al. (2014), Brockway et al. (2019), Diesendorf & Wiedmann (2020).