This is an oil-dependent society. Everything from the vehicles that are driven to the electricity that is used requires oil to function. However, this is becoming a big problem due to the decreasing amount of fossil fuels available in the world. The solution to this problem is alternative sources of fuel. Alternative fuel sources can be obtained from a variety of energy sources, including those derived from biomass, various liquid fuels, and even solar energy (The New Book). Researchers at the Department of Energy, or DOE for short, are looking for alternative sources of fuel. Many of the solutions involve the use of biomass (The New Book). Biomass is created when plants, waste, or any other natural waste is chemically modified through a process called fermentation (The New Book). During the fermentation process, bacteria are used to convert natural waste into various gases and liquid fuels (The New Book). There are many popular liquid fuels that are obtained by this process. Two of these fuels are ethanol and methanol (The New Book). Ethanol is the best-known and most widely used liquid fuel produced during fermentation (The New Book). Ethanol is a renewable fuel produced from plants such as corn, sugar cane and many types of grass (alternative fuels). The Energy Information Administration said, “Ethanol fuel use in the United States increased dramatically from about 1.7 billion gallons in 2001 to about 12.9 billion in 2012.” Ethanol comes in three blends, or blends of gasoline and ethanol. The first two blends, the most commonly used, are E10 and E15 (Alternative Fuels). The number represents the percentage of ethanol in the mixture. E10 would contain 10% ethanol and 90%…half paper…fuels like oil and gasoline. To put the United States on track to becoming energy independent, we need to increase the use of alternative fuels. With biomass-derived alternative fuels such as ethanol and methanol and other sources such as electricity and solar energy, the United States should be off to a good start in achieving the goal of energy independence. The future of fuel is clean, energy-efficient alternative fuels. Works Cited Allen, Mike. The numbers on alternative fuels. Popular mechanics. 2014. Web 30 April 2014. Alternative fuels. Fuel saving. 2 May 2014. Web. 30 April 2014. Fuels and vehicles. AFDC. March 6, 2014. Web. April 30, 2014.Sofge, Erik. The energy correction. Popular science. June 2013. Print.The New Book of Popular Science Earth Sciences Energy Environmental Sciences. Philippines: Grolier Incorporated, 1979. Print.