Five Energy Stories Worth Reading Today (4/17/15)

Here are five recommended reads for today (4/17/15).

1. Bloomberg reports: "[SolarCity CEO Lyndon] Rive, 38, says the experiment in Hawaii [on how much solar power the grid can handle] was a step forward for him and his brother Peter, 41, and their famous cousin, Elon Musk, who helped found SolarCity in 2006. The trio is on a quest to reduce the world’s dependence on fossil fuels—Musk with his Tesla electric cars, the Rive brothers by replacing coal- and natural gas-generated electric power with solar."
2. The Guardian writes, "Contrary to industry claims, coal power would fail to deliver electricity to those suffering from energy poverty and would actively degrade their lives, says Gore and global investment manager David Blood."
3. The New York Times reports: "A panel of federal judges appeared inclined on Thursday to dismiss the first legal challenge to President Obama’s most far-reaching regulation to slow climate change. But in the arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, lawyers for the nation’s two largest coal companies, more than two dozen states and the Environmental Protection Agency offered a preview of what is expected to be a protracted battle over a regulation Mr. Obama hopes to leave as his signature environmental achievement."
4. According to Reuters, "Solar panel maker SunPower Corp said it would partner with Apple Inc to build two solar power projects in China's Sichuan province with total capacity of 40 megawatts."
5. InsideClimate News reports, "A conservative think tank connected to the political network overseen by Charles and David Koch is publishing a series of misleading reports attacking the Obama administration's plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants, according to advocates of clean energy."