The future of energy will include alternative renewable energy sources like biomass energy, which includes biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. Other renewable alternative energy sources are wind energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, wave energy, and others. Fossil fuels will no longer need to be used, which would reduce harmful emissions and other dangerous environmental pollutants. Fossil fuels are not renewable because it takes thousands of years for them to accumulate within the earth, and at the rate they are currently being burned, the earth will soon run out. The future of energy will instead look to renewable sources of energy that do not pollute or release greenhouse gases. Renewable alternative energy sources are already in use to some degree. Biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel are already being produced and used in the United States and many other countries. The same is true of wind power and solar power, but these two energy sources are not yet very dependable or cost effective. From the ocean, wave power and current power are other alternative sources of energy that do not put a strain on the earth, and so is geothermal power. These technologies are still in initial research phases though, so results won't be known for a while. It is important that these energy sources are fully developed because the future of energy may not rely on one source but many combined. Biomass energy is one alternative and a renewable energy source that shows great promise. This energy is produced using organic matter such as plant and animal waste and materials. Biofuels are one type of biomass energy and this energy can also be used to produce heat, electricity, and light. Critics say that biofuels are not acceptable because they are produced in this country using corn (ethanol) and soybeans (biodiesel). This causes skeptics to blame food shortages and higher food prices on the production of biofuels, though this is not true. Biofuels can be made from any organic material. Switchgrass and willow can be used instead of crops that use fertile land and are considered food crops. The Castor plant can be used to create biodiesel instead of soybeans, and Castor plants can grow in very poor soil that is not suitable for food farming. Biomass energy can create energy out of household and municipal solid waste, including food scraps, leaves and other organic yard debris, and many other things that fill and clutter our landfills and garbage dumps.

With such issues like global warming, air pollution, and other environmental problems that have resulted somewhat from using fossil fuels to create energy, the future must include the use of clean burning fuels instead of fossil fuels. Biomass energy can be implemented on a very large scale with almost no modifications and this is a much cleaner burning fuel source comparing to fossil fuels. Investing in renewable alternative sources of energy now means that in 10 or 20 years, dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuels will no longer be a problem. There is also wind farms that create so much energy that excess is sold to power companies and there are homes that use solar energy in combination with other traditional energy sources. Cars have been created that can run on gasoline blends that burn up to 85 percent ethanol mixed with 15 percent gasoline. Vehicles that burn this fuel blend are called flexible fuel vehicles and are very friendly to the environment and a tight budget. Surely, energy in the future will see a lot more biomass energy production, biofuels being used exclusively, and alternative energy sources becoming common and standard.