Want to build LEED-certified buildings? Illinois might be the place for you. The state has implemented some of the strongest building energy codes in the country, according to the report.
It also might just be the nation's high-tech battery hub. In 2012, the Department of Energy awarded Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont, Ill., up to $120 million over five years to make denser, better, and cheaper energy-storage devices for cars and the electrical grid.
Drive a few hours south through the state's sprawling corn fields and you'll understand why the Land of Lincoln pumps out 1.5 billion gallons of ethanol each year. It ranked third in the nation in ethanol production in 2011.
