The National Academies
What You Need To Know About Energy
As debates about energy grow more intense, Americans need dependable, objective, and authoritative energy information. The National Academies, advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine, provide the facts about energy—a complex issue that affects us as individuals and as a nation.
Uses
Discover how the strength of American industry, speed of transportation, and countless modern conveniences all come from our ingenious use of energy.
Sources
The United States depends on a variety of energy sources. What advantages and challenges does each one present to our nation and its people?
Costs
Learn about the costs of our unprecedented standard of living—to the environment, to our national security, and to irreplaceable resources.
Efficiency
Increasing supply isn’t the only answer to a stable energy future. Discover how reducing demand through improved efficiency achieves the same effect.
Explore Other Topics
What do you know about energy?
According to the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards updated in December 2007, what is the average miles per gallon (mpg) required for new cars, SUVs, and light trucks (combined) by 2020?
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Sorry, that’s incorrect.
Based upon the 2007 CAFE standards, the new average mpg required by 2020 is 35 mpg.
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Correct!
Based upon the 2007 CAFE standards, the new average mpg required by 2020 is 35 mpg.
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Sorry, that’s incorrect.
Based upon the 2007 CAFE standards, the new average mpg required by 2020 is 35 mpg.
Energy Defined
- Biobutanol
Biologically-derived butanol, a four-carbon-atom alcohol (as opposed to ethanol, which is a two-carbon-atom alcohol), intended for use as an automotive transportation fuel. It is currently produced from the sugars and starches found in commodity crops using genetically engineered microorganisms.
Source Material
- America’s Energy Future: Technology and Transformation (2009)
- Real Prospects for Energy Efficiency in the United States (2010)
- Electricity from Renewable Resources: Status, Prospects, and Impediments (2009)
- Liquid Transportation Fuels from Coal and Biomass: Technological Status, Costs, and Environmental Impacts (2009)
- America’s Energy Future: Summary of a Meeting (2008)
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America's Energy Future (2009)
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