Five Energy Stories Worth Reading Today (5/12/14)

Here are five recommended reads for today (5/12/14).

1. The Washington Post reports, "President Obama on Friday announced new measures to expand solar energy deployment in the private and public sectors, as the White House completed the final installation of solar panels on the first family’s residence."
2. According to RenewEconomy, "As Prime Minister Tony Abbott continues his assault on the nation’s clean energy programs and incentives, one technology that could emerge relatively unscathed (in the medium to long term) is the market for rooftop solar PV – much to the frustration of the incumbent utilities that are pushing the government to try to lock the country into the business models and technologies of the past."
3. Climate Progress reports: "Deval Patrick is finishing up his second term as Governor of Massachusetts this year, but instead of fading into the role of a lame duck, he said something on Friday that it’s possible no sitting governor has said before. Speaking to the UMass Amherst’s boisterous graduating class of 2014, Patrick detailed how 'Massachusetts should finally end all reliance on conventional coal generation' in four years, and called for 'a future free of fossil fuels.'"
4. The Guardian argues: "If we needed a reminder of how politics and energy are inextricably linked, the Ukraine crisis has done us all a timely service. The price and supply of gas is rapidly becoming a major Russian weapon against its neighbour, and by extension, its European supporters."
5. The New York Times reports, "Projected increases in China’s coal consumption may render it 'almost impossible' for the world to limit global temperature increases from greenhouse gases to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) unless the country acts quickly to cap and then reduce its dependency on the fossil fuel, a new study has found."