Lower costing energy sources are an important consideration. These are usually found in the form of renewable energy sources. Burning fossil fuels is the primary source of energy around the world, but it is not the answer. Look at the smog in many areas of the West, especially California. This comes from the burning of fossil fuels. Coal, natural gas, and oil are responsible for more than 80 percent of the energy consumption in America. This leads to carbon buildup in the atmosphere, not to mention that these fuels have seen their costs skyrocket in the last decade. Fossil fuels are not unlimited. Renewable energy sources are a better alternative because they do not depend on fossil fuels, are renewable and do not harm the Earth.

Renewable energy sources are lower costing energy sources and there are several types. There is biomass energy, solar energy, wind energy, geothermal energy, wave energy, and hydroelectric energy. All of these sources are renewable or are available in amounts that cannot be depleted significantly or easily. Each type of energy source has advantages and disadvantages, but fossil fuel energy is responsible for global warming and smog buildup in certain areas that are highly populated so they should be replaced with more earth-friendly, renewable energy sources. Biomass is one lower costing energy source that can provide many benefits. This energy comes from plants and biomass wastes. Biofuels are renewable and inexpensive. Bioethanol is one type of biofuel and is commonly added to gas to reduce and prevent harmful emissions and to make vehicles perform better. Biofuels are chemicals including alcohols and ethers that are created from certain types of biomass that contain cellulose. This includes plants, trees, shrubs, and industrial and municipal wastes. These fuels can be used for electricity production and to make more environmentally friendlier fuels like bioethanol. Biomass energy has been proven to be safe, it is renewable, it does not depend on fossil fuels, it is friendly to the environment, and it is plentiful because there are always waste products that can be used.

Solar and wind energies are two other alternatives to using fossil fuels. Solar energy takes sunlight and converts it into other forms of energy that can be used, and wind energy does the same with wind. The light from the sun costs nothing and the wind is free as well, but the technology required to collect energy from these sources can be expensive. Solar energy requires solar panels. These panels can take up a large amount of surface area and weather conditions must be good for these panels to effectively catch the sunlight. Wind energy requires wind turbines. This technology is also dependent on the weather. If there is no wind, the turbines do not turn and no energy is generated. Both solar and wind energies are more efficient and earth-friendly, but they may be expensive to implement and inefficient due to varying weather conditions at any given time.

Geothermal energy is produced using the heat that is contained in the crust of the Earth to boil water, which is then used to produce energy using electric turbines. This is used to heat homes and other buildings.

Hydroelectric energy is produced using the movement of water. This technology usually requires building large dams, but sometimes rivers are utilized instead.

Wave energy is also being explored. This energy is created using the motion of the waves in the ocean. The technology for this energy source is still in the works and is not very advanced yet, making it expensive to utilize currently.

Out of all the lower costing energy sources available, the one that is the most efficient and cost effective is biomass. This energy source is relatively inexpensive to produce, it does not rely on weather conditions, and it does not use the valuable and limited resources of the Earth. Biomass energy is renewable and helps eliminate waste buildup. This energy source is the new wave of a fossil-fuel-free future, and has the most advantages with little or no drawbacks.