he has a refrigeration unit. i think that the whole clean energy thank and the climate change -- clean energy thing is both positive and negative. >> i appreciate that very much. mr. president, mr. gates, we are very appreciative. i will turn to my colleagues in a moment and see if they have any comments. 20 million-9 million is a reduction of proportion. these are extraordinary efforts of those of you have made. that both of you have made. together, i think you have created a unique team and have had a unique impact which has served the country and humanity in extraordinary ways. i am reminded that america is great because americans are good and he was referring to the natural charity that took place in america that help people take care of each other and how we reached out and built communities. he found it quite extraordinary. i think, in the best of ways, the 2 w 0 -- be two of you are representing us in an extraordinary way. words do not adequately describe it. we thank you. it is really an extraordinary sto

less than 24 months later they bought exactly the same refrigeration unit for the same sort of plane and paid $32,000 for the same thing. i would not want to go home, mr. chairman, to my spouse and explain to her i'd done that kind of costover on buying anything this you are -- in our household. a few years ago there was a contract let or at least discussed to provide refined petroleum products to truck them from kuwait up into iraq. and it was about a $220 million contract. $201 million was paid for and committed before the contract was even signed. this is a $220 million contract where $201 million was paid out before there was a written contract even signed. none of us, mr. chairman, would buy a house that way or an automobile that way or have our kitchen remodeled that way. neither should the taxpayers here. when the department of defense buys software or hardware, when it buys infor from the time they think of what they need to the time they actually start to use the technology, typically takes 81 months. now the way computer technologies work these days is about every 18 months

on the refrigerators, you have to sign something. these unitsse half the water, half the electricity and spin at a potentially faster rate of speed so the drying time is reduced. >> reporter: were you busy yesterday? >> we were and we expect to be that and more today. >> reporter: got you. there are things to think about when you're going to go for the deal. the number one thing, to think about guys, will you get your money or not. the way it goes on you send it which puts you behind the people that send it in. when the money is gone about $5.4 million in maryland the money is gone. >> joel, there's no way for you to know that in advance, though. >> reporter: not really. in other states, we know that it took two hours in massachusetts but that an online sign up so you knew when it was offer. this stuff when it started the program it's in the mail right now who knows how much is gone already. hard to tell. >> the people may buy the washers and dryers and pay pull price and have the washers and dryers. >> reporter: and it's still more energy effic

united states. it is because we discovered an alternative to that energy preservation. salt was used to preserve food. and now we have other ways to preserve food, particularly refrigeration. that alternative of managing energy is the kind of innovations that we are thinking about. what is an alternative way to deal with oil for transportation? that is what we fundamentally need. there to companies that i am involved in -- two companies that i'm involved in. one is converting sugar to versus type -- to various types of oil. another company has the highest conversion ratio of woodey biomass trees into products like ethanol. there are many other examples like that. many arun has found as well. i am sure he will talk about them. we can scale these to the scale that is necessary, not necessarily to eliminate the use of oil, but to give as alternatives so it no longer becomes that strategic commodity. >> you are using the salt analogy. we have to have more alternatives to break the alternatives of using the system. we need to embrace complexity. that is difficult to do sometimes. >> that is right. right now when you produce electricity, there are a number of different ways of

united states. it's because we discovered an alternative to that energy preservation. is salt was used to preserve food. we now have lots of other ways to preserve food and most importantly refrigeration. so that alternative of managing energy is the kinds of innovations we've been thinking about. what's an alternative way to deal with oil for transportation? because that is what we fundamentally need. lots of interesting innovations out there. there are two companies i'm involved in, solazime, a company converting sugar to -- directly to various kinds of oils that can be used, including for transportation, using alge without having to build large-scale pools of algecons and another company called zakim which has the highest conversion ratio of woody biomass trees into products like ethanol. so just two small examples. there are many like them, ls- and amorist and many others that arun has been supported as well and i'm sure he'll talk about more radical ideas but without this kind of thinking there is a possibility and that we can scale these technologies up to the scale that's necessary, not necessarily to completely eliminate use of oil but to give us alternatives so that it no lon