Boston Globe: Charlie Baker Appoints Controversial New Energy Team

An unsuccessful Republican candidate for Congress who campaigned against government regulations, a former lobbyist for the region’s fossil fuel industry, and a senior executive at one of the state’s largest power companies will oversee energy policy for Governor Charlie Baker, administration officials said Monday.

The appointments stirred concerns among environmental advocates that the administration could move in a different direction from the Patrick administration, which promoted renewable energy and sought to reduce the state’s reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.

Bloomberg: China to Cut Subsidies for Non-Electric Vehicles

China’s Ministry of Finance will reduce subsidies for “traditional” vehicles as part of government efforts to boost development and sales of renewable-energy cars.

The government will also “improve” fuel-subsidy policy for buses this year, according to a Jan. 13 report on the news website Caixin, citing Zeng Xiaoan, head of the ministry’s economic development department, who spoke at an electric-car forum.

Reuters: French Energy Minister Wants New Nuclear Reactors

France should build a new generation of nuclear reactors to replace the country's aging plants, Energy Minister Segolene Royal said on Tuesday, the first time a government member has openly endorsed this option.

France, the country most reliant on nuclear power, must decide in the next few years whether to continue down the nuclear route, as about half of its 58 reactors will reach their designed 40-year age limit in the 2020s.

Royal's so-called energy transition bill, which is being reviewed by the Senate after parliament's lower house passed a first version last year, aims to cut the share of nuclear energy in France's electricity mix to 50 percent from 75 percent.

Journal Sentinel: Cree Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Two LED Competitors

Cree Inc. said Tuesday it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Harvatek Corp. and Kingbright Corp. in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin.

"These patents, among other things, protect Cree's LED component portfolio, including Cree's white-light LEDs," North Carolina-based Cree said in a statement.

LEDs, or light-emitting diodes, are semiconductor devices that produce visible light when an electrical current is passed through them, according to Energy Star.

Tampa Bay Times: Coalition of Conservatives, Liberals Fight for More Florida Solar Power

Imagine the Christian Coalition and the tea party joining hands with liberals and environmentalists.

Add to the Kumbaya moment Libertarians and Florida's retail business federation.

They all plan to unite this morning for a news conference in Tallahassee about their campaign to allow those in Florida who generate electricity from the sun to sell that power directly to other consumers. Right now, that's illegal here.

The coalition, which has dubbed itself Floridians for Solar Choice, has crafted a petition that was approved for circulation last month. They'll need 683,149 signatures by Feb. 1, 2016, to get the question on the ballot for the 2016 election.