In case you missed them, here are some highlights from Breaking Energy this week.

Video games and social media have figured prominently in our coverage.

Video games could be a recruiting tool to draw new talent to oil and gas. Maersk has developed an exploration and development video game that challenges players to find, extract, and market oil profitably…and also seeks to get them interested in coming to work for the industry.

And social media may be a potent efficiency tool, provided that it’s packaged in the right way – as something consumers already want – and that people are willing to “friend” their boilers, chillers, and thermostats.

Big data has a big role to play in extending social media to facility operations, and it may also play a big role in connecting solar project developers to finance. Mercatus has developed a software platform to allow potential lenders to compare solar projects on an apples-to-apples basis, which should make the financing process far more efficient.

The world’s largest concentrated solar facility, Ivanpah, is already well underway…but no target date for completion of construction yet.

Also no clear timeline on when Alaska’s push for development and marketing of its massive North Slope gas resources will succeed  They’ve been at this a long time.The question is where you get $50 billion.