Gates to invest $2 billion in renewable energy projects

INVESTMENT:

• Bill Gates announced he will double his investments in renewable energy to $2 billion, but he rejected calls to divest from fossil fuels. (The Guardian)
• A bill that would allow clean energy projects to access hundreds of billions of dollars through master limited partnerships was reintroduced in the Senate on Wednesday. (GreenTech Media)

RISKS: Credit rating agencies are miscalculating the risks of fossil fuel assets, which could lead to the next big financial crisis, a new report claims. (The Guardian)

SUPREME COURT: Attorneys are examining whether Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding Obamacare could set a precedent for legal challenges to the EPA’s Clean Power Plan. (Greenwire)

PIPELINES: Pipeline projects already in the works are more than sufficient to handle increased natural gas demands in the U.S., according to a new report. (FuelFix)

COAL:

• Federal agencies announced Thursday an agreement with Alabama Power Company that will close three coal-fired units and convert four others to natural gas. (Alabama Media Group)
• A coalition of more than 70 elected officials are calling on New York’s governor to end bailouts of coal-fired energy plants by the state. (Finger Lakes Times)

EARTHQUAKES: A series of 35 earthquakes over the last week has prompted Oklahoma regulators to consider new restrictions on oil and gas drilling in the state. (The Hill)

SOLAR:

• San Francisco-based rooftop solar developer Sunrun will seek to raise as much as $100 million in an initial public offering on Nasdaq. (Bloomberg)
• Utilities looking to help customers install distributed generation now have the online platform they need to go nose to nose with the rooftop solar industry. (Utility Dive)

RULING: A group of teenagers convinced a county judge to order the Washington State Department of Ecology to consider statewide reductions in carbon emissions. (KING 5)

PRESIDENTIAL RACE: NextGen Climate is using quotes from Pope Francis to call for ​“a clean energy future” in ads that will run in Iowa, the first state to hold a 2016 presidential nominating event. (The Hill)

EFFICIENCY: Indiana’s efficiency program saved about 11 million megawatt hours of energy and created almost 19,000 jobs before it was dismantled, according to an independent analysis. (Midwest Energy News)

DIVERSION: New Jersey’s clean energy fund is being tapped by legislators to provide $20 million for maintenance and salaries in the state’s park system. (NJ Spotlight)

GRANTS: Massachusetts announced Wednesday seven innovative projects across the state that will receive a total of $280,000 in grants. (Boston Business Journal)