According to the Minnesota Department of Commerce, total E15 sales for the first nine months of the year totaled 1.57 million gallons, more than six times the amount sold for the whole of 2014.

The volume of E15 sold in September was a new high for the year. The last record was in January when E15 sales totaled 183,934 gallons.

With 36 retailers in Minnesota now offering E15, consumers have more access to a fuel that is cheaper than regular E10, emits fewer greenhouse gases and stimulates the economy in rural Minnesota.

As for E85, the Minnesota Department of Commerce said usage reached 1.28 million gallons in September, 4 percent higher than the volume sold in September 2014.

However, E85 usage in September was lower than the previous month (1.39 million gallons). One reason for the drop may have been the smaller than usual price differential between E85 and regular E10. In September, the average price for E85 was $1.86 a gallon while E10 was priced at $2.29 a gallon on average.

Total E85 sales in Minnesota during the first nine months of the year was 9.86 million, marginally higher than the same period in 2014 (9.79 million gallons).

Another ethanol blend on the rise this year has been E30. Sales in September was 43,410 gallons, the second highest total recorded this year (it reached 44,040 gallons in June).

On a nine-month basis, E30 sales was 322,589 gallons, 17 percent higher than the volume of E30 sold for the whole of 2014.

Read the full report from the Minnesota Department of Commerce here