Columbus Dispatch: Why Don't Some Ohio Officials Want You to Read This Report on 'Green’ Energy Jobs?

A state agency paid almost $435,000 for a survey to tally clean-energy jobs in Ohio but never released the results.

The Ohio Development Services Agency says the study went unused because it was based on dubious methods and came to flawed conclusions.

Others, including experts in survey methods, disagree with this assessment and are perplexed by the criticism.

Reuters: China Needs to Cap Coal Use by 2020 to Meet Climate Goals

China needs to hit its "peak coal" use by 2020 if it is to fulfill its commitment to end growth in climate-warming carbon emissions by the end of the next decade, an influential government think tank said on Tuesday.

China pledged for the first time to end growth in carbon emissions by "around 2030" last week, and it has also vowed to raise the share of non-fossil fuels in its total energy mix to 20 percent by the same year.

To stick to those targets, China needs to cap coal consumption at less than 4.1 billion tonnes in 2020, up about 13 percent from the 3.6 billion tonnes burned last year.

AP: Obama Aims to Ensure Final Years Remembered for Action on Climate Change

With just two years left in office, President Barack Obama is elevating his efforts to combat global warming above almost all else as he seeks to leave an imprint on the world that will endure after he's gone. It's a strategy rooted not only in Obama's long-stated support for such efforts, but also in political reality.

Two weeks ago, Obama watched his prospects for realizing his goals on education, wages and immigration all but evaporate as voters handed his party a stinging rebuke in the midterms, putting Republicans in full control of Congress for the remainder of his presidency. But on a trip last week to Asia and Australia, Obama sought -- and found -- fruitful opportunities to make a lasting difference on global warming.

Forbes: IKEA Announces Its Largest Global Wind Investment to Date

This morning, the IKEA Group announced that it has purchased its second U.S. wind farm, a 165 megawatt (MW) facility in Cameron County, Texas. This complements IKEA’s 98 MW wind asset in Illinois, the purchase of which was announced in April of this year.

The Texas location will deploy 55 of Acciona's 3-megawatt turbines. When the Cameron County project is operational (slated for late 2015), the two facilities together are expected to generate close to 1,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity.

National Geographic: How Green Are Those Solar Panels, Really?

As the world seeks cleaner power, solar energy capacity has increased sixfold in the past five years. Yet the process of manufacturing all those solar panels, a new report shows, can have environmental downsides.

A ranking of 37 solar manufacturers, called the Solar Scorecard, shows that some companies are doing better than others. Chinese manufacturer Trina scored best, followed by California-based SunPower.