Winner: Smart Grid

Improving the network of electrical wires is a top priority for the Administration, particularly since without a better grid, renewable energy can't grow as quickly as President Obama would like. According to the electric industry's research arm, simply connecting all the nation's grids could free up as much as 30% of redundant generating capacity that need not be switched on if grid operators could simply direct energy to sites of greater demand. Then there's the matter of aging control systems and low capacity lines that must be modernized to handle more volatile wind energy flows. At homes and in businesses, meters will need to be replaced to allow for variable pricing and to permit electricity to flow in reverse, from a home's rooftop solar panels back out onto the grid.