When President Obama dreams out loud, as he did in a speech last week, of a future when solar panels are as "cheap as paint" and buildings produce their own energy, researchers like the physicist Yang Yang are dreaming right along with him. Mr. Yang's laboratory is among hundreds at colleges around the country that stand to benefit from a new federal commitment--including $3.4-billion in this year's economic-stimulus package--to find renewable and alternative sources of energy. The aim is to move the country and the world beyond fossil fuels that can damage economies, international relations, and the environment. College-based research has pointed to alternative energy in the past, yet projects have stalled in the face of societal preferences and policies. Before Mr. Obama signed the stimulus measure in February, much energy research relied on companies, and the money was scarce, says Glenn R. Bower, a faculty associate who directs automotive research at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. "Companies more and more don't really want to fund things that are superfundamental, because 19 out of 20 times they don't produce anything" with a competitive edge, Mr. Bower says. Colleges can help the effort with more than just their expertise in physical sciences. Research into behavioral studies, for instance, could help policy makers understand how to encourage people to start using alternative technologies, says Tobin L. Smith, associate vice president for federal relations at the Association of American Universities.