Mexican lawmakers have passed an energy reform bill that will open up the country’s oil and gas resources to foreign investment, ending a 75-year monopoly by state-controlled Pemex. According to the Wall Street Journal, the voting process involved both fistfights and accusations of treason. [Wall Street Journal]

Plans for the 99-story Pertamina Energy Tower, to be built in Jakarta, Indonesia, include a “wind funnel” in an opening at its top that will generate power from air currents, and specifications that will allow for more efficient cooling. “The tower will have a shape and orientation that’s perfectly calibrated to Jakarta’s proximity to the equator — a curved facade that will mitigate heat gain throughout the year.” Construction is scheduled for completion in 2020. [io9]

A French chemist is using algae in street lamps to both generate electricity and remove as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in one year than a tree would over its entire lifetime. “Microalgae is incredibly efficient at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, about 150 to 200 times more than trees.”  [Forbes]