kˈɛn kˈæsmən, ɐ pɹəfˈɛsɚɹ ʌv ɐɡɹˈɑːnəmi æt ðə jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv nəbɹˈæskə lˈɪŋkən, sˈɛd ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪt ðæt ˈɛθɐnˌɑːl hɐz ɐ səbstˈænʃəl nˈɛt pˈɑːzᵻtˌɪv dᵻɹˈɛkt ˈɛnɚdʒi bˈæləns: wˈʌn.fˈaɪv tə wˈʌn.sˈɪks mˈoːɹ jˈuːnɪts ʌv ˈɛnɚdʒi ɑːɹ dᵻɹˈaɪvd fɹʌm ˈɛθɐnˌɑːl ðɐn ɑːɹ jˈuːzd tə pɹədˈuːs ɪt.
Ken Cassman, a professor of agronomy at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, said in 2008 that ethanol has a substantial net positive direct energy balance: 1.5 to 1.6 more units of energy are derived from ethanol than are used to produce it.