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POPSThe Myth Of Energy Independence Where did this notion of energy "independence" come from? Energy independence is not a new idea in American politics. Richard Nixon first started talking about it in 1974. The problem is it's no more feasible today than it was then. What about cellulosic ethanol, made from switch grass or corn stubble? I cite an analysis that was done by former CIA Director John Deutsch, who's now a professor at MIT. If his estimates are correct, producing enough cellulosic ethanol to displace just half of America's daily consumption of 20 million barrels of oil would require the U.S. to plant an area approximately equal to 1.5 times the size of Texas. That's a big area. If we could get the efficiency of the photovoltaic panels high enough, solar, ultimately, has more applicability. There are a whole lot of rooftops in this country you could put them on. Researchers are having better luck at converting larger parts of the light spectrum into energy.
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