There is still a very long way to go before a commercial reactor is built, but scientists at the National Ignition Facility succeeded in creating a reaction in which more energy came out than went in. “The real significance of this is, we’re now matching our models, we have our feet back on the ground where we know where to go forward,” said Jeff Wisoff, principal associate director of NIF and photon science at the lab. “We have a number of knobs we can turn.” [Washington Post]

Utilities in Massachusetts say a plan to increase the volume of solar-generated power supplied to customers will could cost rate payers an additional $1 billion over 20 years. “Utilities don’t object to the goal. Rather, they are concerned with how the governor’s plan would require them to obtain the power: by buying from a mix of large and small producers. That approach, the utilities argue, would result in them paying much higher prices for solar power — much like buying groceries at a corner convenience store instead of a large supermarket.” [The Boston Globe]

Apache sold its Argentine assets to YPF for $800 million. “YPF also said it sold part of the acreage it acquired from Apache in the vast shale deposit known as Vaca Muerta in western Argentina to Pluspetrol SA for $217 million.” [Bloomberg]