Switching from the expensive oil to alternative fuels has moved from a dream to reality. Today, there are dozens of alternatives to oil that are currently available us to be used. One alternative to oil that is being used more today is ethanol. Derived from plant materials, ethanol can be a cheaper, cleaner alternative to the gasoline that our vehicles run off. When going to gas pumps, one will notice that much of the gasoline is up to 10 percent of ethanol. According to our text, most ethanol in the U.S. is made from corn, yet ethanol can be made from any biomes-- including garbage. (Turk & Bensel, 2011)

Another alternative to oil being used is solar energy. Everyone knows that the sun is the most important source of energy to our planet. This is a free source of energy and with it there is no pollution. Today, homes are being built with solar panels. Today, solar energy is cost-efficient to where most of the systems life span may be between 30 to 40 years. According to the Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974, solar energy includes both direct and indirect solar sources. The direct uses of the sun’s rays are primarily in the forms of photovoltaic cells, solar thermal systems, and solar buildings; the indirect uses of solar sources include biomass energy that relies on the sun’s role in the process of photosynthesis, wind energy, and ocean thermal energy derived from differential solar heating of land and water surfaces.

Let's talk about the barriers that keep these two alternatives from replacing oil as our primary means of energy.
Barriers
Ethanol will take more energy to grow and harvest corn that would be used for ethanol it could affect the prices of foods.

Solar Energy the price that one has to pay upfront it will cost a person about $15,000 to have a large powered energy system installed in their home.
The use of