they wouldn't give us an interview, but steven koonin was actually the head scientist for the department, approving many of the stimulus projects. the government spent about $150 billion into these innovations-- taxpayer dollars. money well spent? >> koonin: i think there are significant developments that have come out of that spending that impact our energy system now. new technologies demonstrated. i think it was good value for the money. >> stahl: well, solyndra went through over half a billion dollars before it failed. then, i'm going to give you a list of other failures-- abound energy, beacon power, fisker, v.p.g., range fuels, ener-1, a-123, ecotality. i'm exhausted. >> koonin: as i told you in the beginning, the energy business is tough. >> stahl: what happened? >> koonin: oh, gosh, there are so many reasons. i put some of the major blame on the government, both the executive branch and congress, for an inability to set a thoughtful and consistent energy policy. >> stahl: let me interrupt you. you were the government. how many of the loans were you involved in? >> koonin: difficu