Emergy and exergy analyses: Complementary methods or irreducible ideological options?

The paper discusses the similarities and the incompatibilities between two forms of Energy Analysis (exergy and emergy, ‘EXA’ and ‘EMA’ in the following), both of which try to represent the behavior of physical systems by means of cumulative energy input/output methods that result in a double integration over space and time domains. Theoretical background, definitions and balance algebra are discussed first, in a ‘statement–counterstatement’ format that helps pinpointing differences and similarities.