Scientific American: Meet Donald Trump’s New Energy Adviser

Donald Trump’s new energy adviser calls himself a climate skeptic, but he may urge the billionaire celebrity to address climbing temperatures through a hands-off government approach.

Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said yesterday he’s preparing at least two white papers on energy policy for the presumptive Republican nominee, who is scheduled to address an oil and gas conference in North Dakota later this month.

Cramer, who has expressed support for a small carbon tax to replace the Clean Power Plan, said he may offer Trump advice on climate change that challenges the candidate’s assertions about it being a hoax promoted by Democrats.

PolitiFact: Nevada Solar Subsidy Claims Need More Evidence

A group backed by Nevada’s energy monopoly is airing television ads that aim to cast a shadow over the well-publicized complaints of the rooftop solar industry.

Solar Energy Fairness (which is backed by NV Energy, the state’s electric service monopoly) is airing an ad throughout Nevada with a narrator warning that "big rooftop solar" is trying to trick consumers into supporting a "government-mandated subsidy with no limits."

"Big rooftop solar's plan forces Nevada families who don’t have solar panels to pay higher power bills to subsidize rooftop solar," it warns.

Financial Times: Big U.S. Companies Spearhead Renewable Energy Drive

When General Motors buys electricity for the Texas plant that makes hundreds of its Chevrolet and Cadillac trucks each day, it normally does a deal with a local power utility lasting at most a couple of years. But five months ago, the U.S. carmaker did something very different, signing a 14-year agreement with a wind farm company, EDP Renewables North America, for enough electricity to make more than half the trucks it produces each year.

The deal makes GM one of a fast-growing number of big U.S. companies buying green power to cut their emissions of carbon dioxide, and potentially achieve savings on their energy bills. In doing so, these groups are reshaping the way renewable energy is purchased, and helping green power generators build more projects than they otherwise might have done.

BMWBlog: Electric Cars Now Make Up 10% of BMW Sales

BMW is one of the leaders in the industry for electric automotive technology. Some may claim that Tesla is wiping the floor with the Bavarians, but the fact remains that among traditional automakers, no one is a bigger proponent of the electric vehicle than BMW. And that fact is reinforced with numbers, as 10 percent of all BMW brand sales are electric vehicles, with 15 percent of all BMW passenger cars being EVs. And if you consider the entire BMW Group, that number is 2.5 percent, which is impressive given the breadth of the BMW Group’s reach.

Tech News Today: BMW’s Self-Driving Car Still Needs 5 Years

As self-driving cars take over the auto industry gradually, BMW has now decided to roll out its own autonomous electric cars. In its annual shareholders’ meeting, CEO Harald Krueger announced that self-driving cars are expected to hit the road by 2021.

Dubbed as iNEXT, the car will function as the latest flagship product of the company. It will replace the current 7-Series Sedan. While the production of the electric car is still years away, BMW will launch its i8 Roadster by 2018, with continued focus on the next generation of electro-mobility.