Norway’s biggest oil and gas producer, Statoil, has launched a new $200 million venture capital fund dedicated to investing in renewable energy. [Clean Technica]

A new report, published by data analysis firm New Frontier, highlights the huge energy footprint of marijuana cultivation and outlines strategies to make production more energy efficient. [The Washington Post]

Chinese-state owned Shenhua company has applied for an extension to its exploration licence as doubts grow over the future of the $1.2bn mega-coalmine on the Liverpool Plains in New South Wales. [The Guardian]