New York Times: Nuclear Agency Rules Are Ill Suited for Plant Decommissioning, Leader Says

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s rules are not geared for supervising the decommissioning of nuclear reactors, the task that will occupy much of its time in the coming years, the head of the agency, Allison M. Macfarlane, said Monday.

Speaking at the National Press Club in a wide-ranging look at her agency and the industry before she leaves the job at the end of the year, Macfarlane said the industry had instead set itself up about fifteen years ago to oversee more reactor construction, a revival that did not occur. “The industry was really expecting to expand,” she said. “The agency’s not facing the future that, five years ago, people envisioned.”

Associated Press: China's Energy Plan Reduces Reliance on Coal

Chinese officials announced limits Wednesday on growth in energy consumption aimed at making the country less dependent on coal.

Under a development plan issued by China's Cabinet, energy consumption by 2020 must be no more than 28 percent higher than the 2013 level. For coal specifically, the increase would be limited to 16 percent.

Wonkblog: Voters Want Congress to Set the Country’s Agenda, Not Obama

Americans have always showed a preference for Congress to take the helm in setting the country's agenda -- perhaps distrustful that one man in the White House should be in charge. But by the widest margin of President Obama's tenure, Americans believe that the nation's representatives and senators should be in charge, not him. That's a big finding in the new Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll released Wednesday night.

Energy Transition: World’s Longest Superconductor in Operation in Germany

Called AmpaCity, the project is currently focusing on the application of research. Though the technology has been tested in various countries over the past few years, the 1-kilometer line in Germany is the longest superconducting power cable in the world at present.

Bloomberg: Cheap Electricity for Poor Squeezing Out Solar in India

The villagers of Dharnai in northern India had been living without electricity for more than 30 years when Greenpeace installed a microgrid to supply them with reliable, low-cost solar power.

Then, within weeks of the lights flickering on in Dharnai’s mud huts, the government utility hooked up the grid -- flooding the community with cheap power that undercut the fledgling solar network. The unannounced arrival of the state’s utility threatened to put it out of business.

Business Green: Smart Meter Rollout Faces Fresh Delays in UK

The U.K. government has downplayed fears it will miss its 2020 deadline to install smart meters in every home in the country, despite admitting some elements of the rollout will have to be pushed back by a year. According to the Telegraph, Capita, which is responsible for running the Data Communication Company (DCC) for the smart grid rollout, has said it is now looking at going live in late 2016, one year later than originally planned.

The Hill: A 'Good Chance' Senate Will Take Up Efficiency Bill in January

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) said on Wednesday that there is a "good chance" the new GOP majority will bring forward his energy efficiency bill as early as January.

The efficiency bill, co-sponsored by Portman and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), came to the floor twice in the past year but failed both times due to stalemates between the two parties.