US President Barack Obama on Tuesday set an ambitious goal of deriving 80 per cent of the country's electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, dpa reported.
Obama called for an end to government subsidies for oil companies and set a goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.
"Instead of subsidizing yesterday's energy, let's invest in tomorrow's," Obama said in his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday night before lawmakers from both chambers of Congress.
But Obama was vague about what would be considered "clean energy" electricity, listing "clean" coal, nuclear energy and natural gas among the possibilities.
The new goals come as the president's climate and energy policies face an massive uphill battle in the US Congress, where most conservatives and some left-leaning lawmakers oppose limits on the greenhouse gases that are believed to cause global warming.
The Obama administration has pledged to cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 17 per cent below 2005 levels, by the year 2020.
Obama made no mention of this broader goal in his speech to Congress. Environmentalists have been skeptical that Obama can meet the target without the backing of lawmakers.