The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted a low-carbon fuel standard that requires greater use of fuels that cause lower greenhouse gas emissions, compared with gasoline. Corn-based ethanol doesn't meet that test and won't benefit from the new standard, CARB says, because diverting corn into ethanol production increases deforestation and the clearing of grasslands.

Industrial-scale attempts to capture CO2 from coal-burning power plants or oil refineries and lock it away deep underground are getting an unprecedented boost from the U.S. government's $787 billion stimulus package.

Everybody agrees that tomorrow's electrical grid must incorporate wind and solar power seamlessly. But solving the reliability issue won't be easy.