hydrogen plant

The Big Picture: Conventional hydroelectric power (think of the Hoover Dam) provides 7 percent of the electricity in the U.S. But the only way to increase that number without damming more rivers — which causes widespread ecological damage both above and below the dam — is to use nonconventional hydropower sources that capture energy from the movement of waves, rivers and tides.

Where We Are: 31 GW
What We Need by 2025: 67 GW
Tech to Watch: Hydrokinetic Power

Twenty-five years after Three Mile Island's near-meltdown stopped the industry cold (not a single U.S. plant has been approved since), nuclear energy is making a serious comeback. This fall, Congress is expected to start funding a $1.1 billion project to build a new breed of nuclear reactor. The design requirements represent a quantum leap: In addition to being safer and less vulnerable to terrorism than current nuclear plants, the new reactor must do double duty-generate electricity and crank out hydrogen, the presumptive automobile fuel of the future.