Fortune: This Is How Political the Decline of Coal Has Become

Showing just how political the decline of the U.S. coal industry has become, Appalachia’s infamous imprisoned coal baron just claimed he’s a “political prisoner.”

Five months ago, the former CEO of coal giant Massey Energy, Don Blankenship, headed to prison in Taft, Calif. to serve out a year-long sentence. He was convicted for conspiring to willfully violate mine safety standards following an explosion that killed 29 coal miners, the worst coal mining disaster in decades.

This week, Blankenship continued to lay out his defense from prison without the use of a computer, describing himself an “American political prisoner” in a 68-page brochure that’s posted to his website. He said he wants to tell his story that “Americans need to know.”

Slate: The Paris Climate Agreement Is Officially Happening. Unless Donald Trump Wrecks It.

The Paris climate change agreement passed a crucial milestone today, ensuring that it will officially go into effect in 30 days. The 195-country agreement was negotiated last December and signed at the U.N. in April, but in order to become official, it had to be ratified by at least 55 countries, as well as by countries accounting for 55 percent of global emissions.

A big chunk of that came at the G20 meeting last month when President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping officially committed their countries, which account for 38 percent of emissions between them. India, the world’s third-largest emitter, officially joined last week. With the addition of Canada, Nepal, and seven EU countries today, we’re now at  71 countries and 58.7 percent of emissions. It’s a deal!

RenewEconomy: Could Household Battery Storage Have Prevented the SA Blackout?

Energy experts are still scratching their heads about what they could have done to prevent the massive, state-wide blackout that occurred in the midst of a one-in-50-years storm last month. The answer may lay inside South Australian homes. Or at least, it should do. And it’s battery storage.

Dean Spaccavento, the CEO of Australian energy management software company Reposit Power, says battery storage placed in thousands of homes in Adelaide and the surrounding region -- and linked through smart software -- could have provided the emergency supply to help stabilize the network at its moment of crisis.

Bloomberg: India’s NTPC to Expand Solar Goal, Slow Thermal Power, BNEF Says

India’s largest power generator, which is spearheading Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious clean-energy goals, is expanding its solar target and slowing down development of its coal-based plants based on concerns that the cost of renewables will be cheaper than conventional energy.

NTPC Ltd. will expand its target of setting up 10 gigawatts of solar capacity, Chairman Gurdeep Singh told Bloomberg New Energy Finance in an interview. It will also support building of 15 gigawatts of solar capacity by buying power from producers and selling it to distribution companies. It is exploring new opportunities such as solar-equipment manufacturing, solar parks and electric-vehicle charging infrastructure.

The Huffington Post: Hurricane Matthew’s Strength Is Yet Another Climate Change Indicator

Hurricane Matthew, a record-shattering storm that is unusual for October, is a reminder of climate change’s potential to turn seasonal weather events into extreme, year-round threats.

Matthew, which meteorologists downgraded from a rare Category 5 to a Katrina-magnitude Category 3 on Wednesday, could make landfall in southeast Florida as early as Thursday, and threatens northeast Florida and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina through Saturday. The storm has already claimed at least 11 lives in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Colombia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The storm has surpassed several milestones as one of the strongest, longest-lasting hurricanes of its kind on record. But on top of that, scientists note, it’s atypical for this time of year.