FRACKING: A new study finds above-ground spills, not drilling, are responsible for water contamination from fracking. (InsideClimate News)
COAL: As much as 50 percent of California’s electricity still comes from coal, much of it from out of state. (SNL)
UTILITIES: California Gov. Jerry Brown vetoes five bills aimed at increasing transparency at the state’s Public Utilities Commission. (SNL)
MICROGRIDS: Polar explorer and climate change activist Will Steger closes in on a longtime goal of completing a large off-the-grid conference center in rural Minnesota. (Midwest Energy News)
SOLAR: Electric co-ops are leading the way in solar development in Wisconsin. (Greentech Media)
WIND: A developer warns the U.S. has a short time window to establish its offshore wind industry. (SNL)
TECHNOLOGY: A “virtual power plant” of battery packs at up to 15 southern California office buildings will provide 10 MW of reserve capacity. (Los Angeles Times)
EFFICIENCY: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this week on whether electricity providers should be required to give customers incentives for cutting their power use during times of high demand. (Greenwire)
NUCLEAR: Owners of a troubled Massachusetts nuclear plant announce it will close by 2019. (Boston Globe)
CLIMATE:
• Alaska’s governor says the state needs to drill for more oil to fund climate adaptation efforts. (The Hill)
• Sen. Lindsey Graham implores fellow Republicans to “tell me why” you deny climate science. (ThinkProgress)
• A new federal report shows climate change will wreak havoc on the U.S. electric industry. (Utility Dive)
ELECTRIC CARS: Aston Martin sees its future in electric vehicles rather than – “God forbid” – downsizing its famed V-12 engines. (Bloomberg)
COMMENTARY: Why does the International Energy Agency keep underestimating wind and solar growth? (Vox)