Reuters: China Building 200 Gigawatts of Coal Capacity Despite Capacity Glut, Says Greenpeace

China is building another 200 gigawatts (GW) of coal-fired power capacity despite tough new measures designed to cut the use of fossil fuels and tackle overcapacity, environmental group Greenpeace said on Wednesday.

China's coal-dominated thermal power sector has continued to expand rapidly amid an unexpectedly sharp slowdown in energy consumption growth, as well as a state-led effort to tackle smog, cut carbon emissions and encourage cleaner forms of electricity.

According to National Energy Administration (NEA) data, China's total thermal capacity grew 7.8 percent in 2015 to 990 GW, outstripping a 0.5 percent increase in consumption. Another 24 GW went into operation in the first five months of 2016.

BBC: Government Axes Climate Department

The government has axed the Department of Energy and Climate Change in a major departmental shakeup. The brief will be folded into an expanded Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy under Greg Clark.

Ed Miliband, the former energy and climate secretary under Labour, called the move "plain stupid." It comes at a time when campaigners are urging the government to ratify the Paris climate change deal.

New York Times: Nest Relies on New Outdoor Security Camera as Comeback

Nest, the division of Alphabet that makes internet-connected household devices, has recently grappled with the resignation of its chief executive because of upheaval over his management style, as well as criticism that its products are unreliable.

But don’t worry. The company is trying to send a message that everything is fine as it introduces Nest Cam Outdoor, a new version of its smart security camera, this week.

The new camera is a waterproof, rugged model of the Nest Cam, which Nest developed after acquiring Dropcam, the security camera maker, for $555 million. The new camera includes a mounting system with a magnet so it can easily be installed outdoors.

PV-Tech: House Republicans Target Subsidies for Utility-Scale CSP

In response to financial and environmental concerns, House Republicans are to review a key tenet of Obama’s energy legislation, specifically the perceived lavish subsidies set aside for utility-scale solar power plants.

The hearing, entitled "The status of Ivanpah and other federal loan-guaranteed solar energy projects on Bureau of Land Management lands," was held on Thursday and was led by Rep. Louis Gohmert, R-Texas, and attended by four other representatives. It will “provide an opportunity to discuss the performance of the Obama administration’s significant taxpayer investments in solar energy projects on public lands managed by BLM,” according to the committee.

Climate Wire: Electric Car Sales Up Despite Low Gasoline Prices

The rollout by major automakers of new and second-generation plug-in models that can go longer on a single charge has ushered in what some analysts call a second era in electric vehicles. As a response, sales of plug-in cars in recent months have been ticking upward, despite low gas prices. Older models have made their way onto an increasingly flourishing used car market.

It remains niche enough, however, that incentives can play an outsized role.

For example, the used Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid is selling around twice as fast this year as last year on used car website iSeeCars.com, and twice as fast as the average car. More than half of them are sold in California -- and the state's infamous traffic is part of the reason.