We Need a Real Energy Policy

So President Obama has sprinkled the idea of clean energy through many of his proposed policies.  It’s been a cornerstone of his jobs programs and well has the main thrust of his energy policy.  Who wouldn't agree with the general concept?  We are all feeling the effects of our dependency on oil but when we start to talk about the details, that's where the agreement evaporates.  President Obama's plan, as expected, relies heavily on direct government intervention while the GOP would prefer private industry to take the lead.  It would seem easy to knock the GOP approach if it wasn't for Solyndra.  The federal government tends to do a bad job on picking winners.  Usually because of a bias or some unseen agenda that prevents purely object assessments.
 So which way is the correct way?  I’d like to first take a look at what hasn’t worked.  In late 1973 this country was crushed by an oil crisis.  Gas rationing was the norm and Americans were bombarded with government messages to reduce energy consumption.  Nearly 40 years have passed and although we have seen efforts to reduce our dependency on oil, our ever expanding economy has dwarfed those efforts.  We have also seen efforts to reduce the consumption of other forms of energy.  Electricity generation relies primarily on coal, natural gas, and nuclear sources.  Increased consumption has strained our electric grid.  Not just generation but transmission.  Energy star appliances, residential solar, and more efficient light bulbs have not been able to cause a significant slowing of this countries every growing electricity demand.  In fact electric companies in some areas of the country will pay industrial sites to run their back up generators during peak load times to take the strain off of the electric grid.  It’s a stop gap measure but these backup generators were never designed to function in this capacity and typically add cost to the business even after receiving payment from the electric company.
After being made aware 40 years ago of how oil prices can have a massive effect on our economy, we are yet again in the same boat although this time we can wrestle away more oil from other oil consumers around the world but we are paying for it.  So why haven’t all these efforts made a difference?  Because this country lacks a comprehensive energy policy. 
Everything about our modern society depends on energy.  Access and cost of energy is what drives our foreign policy.  It is what our politicians use to manipulate other countries.  It is what other countries use to manipulate the United States.  Shouldn’t this be viewed as the most serious national security threat deserving of a more focused approach?
Everyone can get behind the idea of oil independence but will that really solve our problem?  I propose an even loftier goal, individual energy independence.  That is where each person generates all the energy they consume.  Think about how truly liberating that would be for individuals, for the economy.  How would this look?  The home would be the source of energy generation.  The goal would be to have each home generating the energy needed to heat/cool and run appliances.  It would also generate the energy to power personal transportation. 
A national goal of individual energy independence could be used to drive policy at all levels.  Take a small component of the energy puzzle such as the power management chips in the electronic devices we use.  The government goal would be to have the most efficient power management chipsets designed and manufactured in the United States.  Federal agencies would then have the task of looking at what the government can do to facilitate that.  Not directly intervene but effect conditions that create unnecessary costs such as EPA regulations.  Semiconductor manufacturing creates a lot of hazardous waste but EPA regulations add a significant amount of unnecessary cost.  The regulations could very easily be rewritten to still protect the environment but in a way that reduces the cost of managing the waste. 
A challenge to the country to become individually energy independent would add the focus needed to direct alternate energy research.  It would challenge private industry and government agencies to work toward one goal.  It is something Americans’ could come together on rather than being divided.  It would allow the United States to be a leader and an example to the world of what mankind is capable of.