GLOBAL COST UP $8T last 2 years to hold global warming to 2*C due to soaring coal use for power: IEA. $44T of clean energy investment now needed by '50 to prevent Earth overheating ... 97 of 100 climate scientists agree humans causing global warming. Media gives mostly equal time to deniers. US public thinks 55% of climate scientists agree on human cause. (Money talks.) ... Accelerating rate of climate change poses serious risk to US national security, acts as catalyst for global political conflict: military think tank. Cites Syria, Nigeria, sub-Sahara Africa. Kerry says report to influence US foreign policy ... Illinois Farmers Insurance suing Chicago for failing to prevent flooding related to climate change ... Gas scooters pollute more than Hummers: study ... Researchers finding connection between southern ocean winds, parched Australia ... Hurricanes, tropical storms, typhoons shifting toward poles: study ... US states should adopt new clean energy standards that include nuke power plants with variable clean energy sources (wind, solar): Exelon CEO ... Florida OK'd utility's plan for 2 new nuke reactors ... Competitive electricity market in Illinois generating more complaints ... Panasonic aiming to sell more solar panels specifically designed for corrugated factory, warehouse roofs in Japan ... India may recommend duties on US, China solar imports after finding evidence of dumping. Over 20 comps sold equipment in India for as little as 1/2 cost they charged in home markets, undercutting local prices by up to 1/3 ... Turkey coal mine disaster: over 200 dead so far, 363 rescued, 80 hurt, 787 in mine at time of explosion, fire ... US dry NG production up .9% in '13. (Heck of a boom, A?) ... 3-yr decline rate 80-90% for fracked oil/gas well production. Takes ~2.5K new wells/yr each in Bakken, Eagle Ford just to keep production flat. ~40% US oil/gas production from fracking ... Analyst predicting Bakken peak production this year or next ... Peak power problems possible this summer in TX, Midwest as US leans more on NG for power: grid overseers ... Enviros filed suit to force bumblebees onto endangered species list. (Latest report saying they're endangered by pesticides, especially insecticides, my guess. I was an aerial applicator for sunflowers, wheat, weeds meself. Just a touch of Parkinson's, though.) ... US biodiesel industry "slowly being bled dry": survey ... DOE's Ames Lab developing faster, cleaner refining tech to produce green diesel from algae. Uses nanoparticles. Higher energy density ... Japan to drill its 1st fracked well ... Ukraine needs to double its NG storage before winter: Gazprom. Now ~9BCM stored. (Gazprom moving the sword around a little while inside.) ... Florida Power & Light proposing voluntary $9/mo payment to customers for 3-year pilot solar program. Expects very few to sign up. Solar only 110Mw of FPL's total 23.6Gw powergen cap ... Kuwait signed $12B contract with Shell for Qatar LNG for 6 yrs ... Hanwha German unit sees '14 shipments of up to 1.2Gw. Factories running at full cap. Sold 247Mw 1Q. Upping production cap .2Gw to 1.3Gw/yr for $80M ... Solarworld shipped 154Mw in 1Q. Can produce 1.1Gw/yr ... Welspun Energy (India) completed 19Mw solar plant in Kamataka ... Russia threatening to disrupt GPS nav. (O those Ruskies. Isn't all the Crimea NG production, offshore oil/gas potential enough?) ... Clean Line needs $6B finance for wind power transmission lines ... DONG Energy raised over $40M with employee share program. Over 3K employees, 212 managers ... Gamesa to supply 100Mw to CGN Wind Energy (China). 2Mw turbines ... Grid Point (VA) - smart energy management tech - raised ~$16M in funding round ... Nordex (Germany) - wind turbine maker - raised '14 guidance after strong 1Q ... E.ON (Germany) demanding compensation for losses at NG power plants. 12% drop in profits 1Q v. '13. Blaming clean energy. (Um, E.ON, grow up.)