Alternative Energy Sources: Ideas and Possibilities Abstract: Due to the economic and environmental costs of fossil fuels, as well as the limited availability of fuels, people are looking for alternative renewable sources of energy energy. Some energy possibilities for the future include extracting energy from solid waste, highway winds, nuclear fusion, and the earth's internal heat. As we approach the next century, the world faces many questions regarding energy. Information from recent research has shown that current energy conditions cannot and should not persist. The world has witnessed massive oil spills that have severely contaminated ocean waters, killing huge numbers of marine life and causing immeasurable damage to ocean habitat. Scientists around the world now preach that carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels has accumulated in such large quantities that the global climate is changing. The increase in the amount of gas acts like a blanket around the earth, giving rise to the phenomenon better known as global warming. Every year, the world consumes more of the planet's limited fossil fuels; this practice cannot be sustained forever. Scientists debate when fossil fuels will run out, but everyone realizes that their availability is not infinite. It is clear that our means of harnessing energy must change to solve existing problems and prevent those that may arise in the future. A major part of today's scientific realm is devoted to the search for alternative means of energy. Types such as nuclear fission energy and solar energy have gained respect and popularity; however, the future may primarily involve other, less well-known approaches to energy. To obtain the desired amount of energy, the future may hold the conjunction of a number of these approaches. Some energy possibilities include extracting energy from solid waste, highway winds, nuclear fusion, and the earth's internal heat. The idea of ​​recovering energy from municipal solid waste is not new. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) says the United States has used this industry for a century. Recent concern about the environment and energy has increased interest in this field. By using incinerators, a city is able to reduce the volume of waste otherwise placed in landfills, as well as providing electricity. The combustion of waste produces heat, which in turn produces steam, which is then capable of producing electricity.