COAL: In Kari Lydersen’s second installment from Europe, a look at why coal is still booming in Germany despite its massive effort to expand renewable energy. (Midwest Energy News)

ALSO: A new report says Indiana ratepayers would pay an additional $1.1 billion over the next eight years to support a proposed coal-to-gas project, a growing share of Illinois coal is being shipped overseas, and FirstEnergy considers using a combination of natural gas and coal to keep its power plants running. (Indianapolis Star, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer)

EFFICIENCY: Ikea announces it will only sell LED bulbs in its stores worldwide by 2016, and the White House announces the 1 millionth home upgraded under a federal weatherization program. (Bloomberg, Forbes)

POLITICS: Mitt Romney takes a right turn on energy, and North Dakota candidates are divided on the wind tax credit. (New York Times, Fargo Forum)

FRAC SAND: A Minnesota town ponders its future as “the epicenter of everything” in the coming frac sand boom. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

MORE FRAC SAND: The Minneapolis Star Tribune has launched a new blog tracking developments in the frac sand industry in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

MICHIGAN: The mayor of Holland, Michigan calls a proposal to expand the state’s renewable energy standard “special interest activity at its worst.” (MLive.com)

OIL: Cook County, Illinois, comes in third in a list of the top ten gasoline-guzzling counties in the U.S. (Forbes)

NUCLEAR: A Minnesota tribe is dealt a setback in its effort to raise attention to waste storage issues at a nearby nuclear plant; meanwhile, another Minnesota nuclear plant is restarted after electrical work triggered an automatic shutdown last week. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

SOLAR: Detroit Edison is looking to purchase additional large solar installations. (CBS Detroit)

MORE FROM GERMANY: A new report concludes wind and solar are the cheapest electricity sources if health and environmental impacts are factored in. (CleanTechnica)

ETHANOL: An Iowa ethanol plant manager braces for an industry shakeup. (Des Moines Register)

COMMENTARY: Grist’s David Roberts explores how to plan for an uncertain climate, and the Toledo Blade worries about how Michigan’s renewable energy ambition might impact Ohio.