U.S. President George W. Bush said Tuesday that affordable energy is required to keep America competitive, noting the best way to break the nation's addiction to imported oil is through technology.

"Since 2001, we have spent nearly 10 billion dollars to develop cleaner, cheaper, more reliable alternative energy sources, and we are on the threshold of incredible advances," Bush said in his annual State of the Union address.

He outlined plans to increase federal spending on research into alternative motor fuels and to reduce the nation's reliance on foreign oil.

Americans must change how they power automobiles, said Bush. "We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen."

"We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn but from wood chips, stalks or switch grass," said the president.

He hoped that breakthroughs on new technologies will help replace more than 75 percent of America's oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.

"To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy," Bush said.

By applying the talent and technology of America, Bush said, "this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past."

Source: Xinhua