Fortune: GE Uses Holograms to Make Wind Farms 20% More Efficient

The secret to generating more electricity from wind turbines may not rest in better blade designs but in better communication between those turbines and holograms, according to Steve Bolze, the president and CEO of GE’s Power & Water division. At the American Wind Energy Association Windpower event, GE is expected to announce two products that will make wind farms 20% more efficient through the use of GE’s industrial internet software and sensors.

Bloomberg: Six Flags Has a Plan for a Solar Energy Farm. It Would Kill 19,000 Trees

Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey’s epicenter of thrill rides, wants to build the state’s biggest solar farm to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. First, though, 19,000 trees will have to go.

The state environmental-protection department objects to the plan by Six Flags Entertainment Corp., saying such construction is better suited for land once used by industry, or atop warehouses and parking lots. So do conservationists, who sued May 4 seeking to prevent almost 100 acres of wetlands and animal habitats from becoming a 21.9-megawatt solar farm.

The Hill: Kansas Set to Repeal Renewable Energy Mandate

Kansas lawmakers are set to repeal the state’s renewable energy mandate and replace it with a voluntary goal for electric utilities, the Lawrence Journal-World reports.

Lawmakers have approved a bill to end the state’s “renewable portfolio standard,” which requires utilities to get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020, and replace it with a voluntary goal instead. The bill also limits the property tax exemption for renewable energy projects currently in law. The Legislature passed the bill on Thursday, sending it to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature.

Power Engineering: EDF to Make an Offer on Areva ‘Within Days’

Jean-Bernard Lévy, chief executive of EDF, says a formal bid will be made for Areva this week.

In his first public comments on the subject, Lévy told Le Figaro that an offer would be made "within days" for a complete takeover of Areva NP, the division that designs, manufactures and maintains nuclear reactors and also employs about 17,000 people worldwide.

Reuters: German Ministry Softens CO2 Emission Demands for Power Plants

Germany plans to force coal-fired power plant operators to reduce their CO2 emissions by 2020 by less than previously planned, according to an economy ministry document seen by Reuters on Monday, bowing to opposition from within the industry.

Thousands of coal workers marched in Berlin last month to protest against plans to slap a levy on the oldest and most polluting power plants, which unions say could put 100,000 jobs at risk.