Production of energy, such as ethanol, from sugars is more efficient than production from grains, in both cost/btu and energy input/output efficiency. For each unit of fossil energy input to the sugarcane agro-industrial system, nine units of renewable energy output (ethanol plus surplus bagasse) result, compared to less than 2 units resulting from grains, such as maize. As an herbaceous perennial crop with a high biomass production potential, sugarcane is ranked in first place among all other crops for biomass production (FAO - http://www.fao.org) and can be a key component of that biomass supply. Technology for producing ethanol from sugarcane is well established in tropical countries such as Brazil, where energy independence has been achieved. In the U.S., the production of sugar from sugarcane is of major economic importance in the states of Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, and Texas, as well as Puerto Rico and recently sugarcane area has been expanding in California. Due to its phenomenal dry matter production capacity (~75 t ha-1 yr-1), Sugarcane's global importance is currently increasing as a leading potential source for biofuels and electrical power of up to 82.6 kWh/ton cane. Finally, production of energy from sugars is an environmentally friend strategy: the potential net reduction in Carbon emission (from CO2 only) due to the use of sugarcane would be in the range of tens of millions of tons per year.