Secretary of Energy Steve Chu is the new Ed McMahon. Every day, he's knocking on someone's door with a big cartoon check.

Today, the recipients are the National Renewable Energy Laboratories and the wind industry. Approximately $100 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will go to NREL: 68 million goes to R&D and the rest goes to infrastructure and lab improvements.

The $68 million should also quell some complaints I've been hearing lately that the ARRA is too focused on near-term projects and not taking up the traditional federal role of spending on science.

The wind money gets spent as follows: $45 million on drive train  research, $14 million on technology development, $24 million on other university projects and $10 million on other wind projects. When it comes to renewable, wind is still king. 2.8 gigawatts got added in the first quarter in the U.S.

Other recent grants include $300 million for clean cities and $10 million for hybrid school buses. That is correct!

And check your mailbox. You may have already won!