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Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, shown in Kuwait last month, has played down the drop in oil prices. The country continues to pump oil at high levels, saying it wants to preserve its market share. But this has also contributed to a 25 percent drop in oil prices since June.

Saudi Arabia's oil minister, Ali Al-Naimi, shown in Kuwait last month, has played down the drop in oil prices. The country continues to pump oil at high levels, saying it wants to preserve its market share. But this has also contributed to a 25 percent drop in oil prices since June. Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

As Oil Prices Fall, Who Wins And Who Loses?

Prices are down 25 percent since June, unleashing ripples around the globe that range from lower gas prices in the U.S. to budget problems in Russia to political pressures in the Middle East.

A fireball goes up at the site of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D., in this Dec. 30 photo. The fiery crash left an ominous cloud over the town and led some residents to evacuate.

A fireball goes up at the site of an oil train derailment in Casselton, N.D., in this Dec. 30 photo. The fiery crash left an ominous cloud over the town and led some residents to evacuate. Bruce Crummy/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Bruce Crummy/AP

Business

Fiery Oil-Train Derailments Prompt Calls For Less Flammable Oil NDPR

Trains carrying oil from North Dakota pass through American towns daily — and sometimes they derail and explode. The oil industry is now under pressure to make the oil less volatile before shipping.

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A woman in Senegal charges her cellphone using a port in her solar-powered LED lantern.

A woman in Senegal charges her cellphone using a port in her solar-powered LED lantern. Bruno Déméocq/Courtesy of Lighting Africa hide caption

itoggle caption Bruno Déméocq/Courtesy of Lighting Africa

Goats and Soda

LED Lights Are A 'Transformative Technology' In The Developing World

This year's Nobel Prize in physics went to scientists who invented the blue light-emitting diode. Paired with solar power, the energy-efficient LED is bringing affordable light to places off the grid.

Guillermo Gomez, husband of Vilma Marenco, holds his daughter in their home in Northeast Houston. Marenco was killed in April after being hit by an uninsured trucker who ran a red light.

Guillermo Gomez, husband of Vilma Marenco, holds his daughter in their home in Northeast Houston. Marenco was killed in April after being hit by an uninsured trucker who ran a red light. Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle hide caption

itoggle caption Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle

Around the Nation

In Texas, Traffic Deaths Climb Amid Fracking Boom KUHF-FM

Texas is in the midst of a fracking boom, which is opening up huge energy reserves and bringing in jobs. But traffic fatalities, some involving inexperienced and fatigued truck drivers, have surged.

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Millennials seem to prioritize the environment, but may want to dissociate from the "treehugger" baggage of the term "environmentalist."

Millennials seem to prioritize the environment, but may want to dissociate from the "treehugger" baggage of the term "environmentalist." Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Getty Images

New Boom

Millennials: We Help The Earth But Don't Call Us Environmentalists

Millennials are the most likely to favor traditionally pro-environment policies and believe climate change is man-made. But they are also the least likely generation to identify as environmentalists.

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Five industrial wind turbines form part of the Gorona del Viento power plant on the island of El Hierro. By the end of this year, the power plant is set to generate 100 percent of the energy El Hierro needs, making it the world's first energy-independent island powered only by renewables.

Five industrial wind turbines form part of the Gorona del Viento power plant on the island of El Hierro. By the end of this year, the power plant is set to generate 100 percent of the energy El Hierro needs, making it the world's first energy-independent island powered only by renewables. Lauren Frayer for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Lauren Frayer for NPR

Parallels

Tiny Spanish Island Nears Its Goal: 100 Percent Renewable Energy

El Hierro, the most remote of Spain's Canary Islands, used to import thousands of tons of diesel each year. Now a new power plant will let the island run entirely on renewable energy.

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An engineer oversees the gas distribution system of Hungary's gas pipeline operator FGSZ in Kiskundorozsma, in August. The distributor announced that it would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine.

An engineer oversees the gas distribution system of Hungary's gas pipeline operator FGSZ in Kiskundorozsma, in August. The distributor announced that it would cut off gas supplies to Ukraine. Laszlo Balogh/Reuters/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Laszlo Balogh/Reuters/Landov

The Two-Way

Hungary Shuts Off Re-Export Of Natural Gas To Ukraine

Hungary's national gas operator says the "indefinite" cutoff is over domestic supply concerns, but the move comes just days after the CEO of Russia's Gazprom monopoly visited Budapest.

Vera Cole is president of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association, a group arguing against proposed rules in Pennsylvania that would put stricter limits on how much grid-connected solar power homeowners can produce on their property.

Vera Cole is president of the Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association, a group arguing against proposed rules in Pennsylvania that would put stricter limits on how much grid-connected solar power homeowners can produce on their property. Jeff Brady /NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Jeff Brady /NPR

Solar Advocates Fight Utilities Over Grid Access

Across the country the solar industry is battling utilities over the financial details of feeding electricity from renewable resources back into the power grid.

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In Del Norte, Colo., Public Works Supervisor Kevin Larimore shows off solar panels that provide electricity for the town's water supply. Despite generating its own solar energy, the town is still at risk of a blackout if its main power line goes down.

In Del Norte, Colo., Public Works Supervisor Kevin Larimore shows off solar panels that provide electricity for the town's water supply. Despite generating its own solar energy, the town is still at risk of a blackout if its main power line goes down. Dan Boyce/Inside Energy hide caption

itoggle caption Dan Boyce/Inside Energy

When The Power's Out, Solar Panels May Not Keep The Lights On KUNC-FM

With the price of solar panels falling, more municipalities and homeowners are installing them. But having solar panels doesn't mean you won't lose power in a blackout — at least not yet.

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Pump jacks are seen in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation near Lost Hills, Calif. Much of the U.S. oil industry wants to lift an export ban that followed the 1970s energy crisis.

Pump jacks are seen in an oil field over the Monterey Shale formation near Lost Hills, Calif. Much of the U.S. oil industry wants to lift an export ban that followed the 1970s energy crisis. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption David McNew/Getty Images

With U.S. Oil Supply Climbing, Some Call For End To Export Ban

Much of the U.S. oil industry wants to lift a ban that followed the 1970s energy crisis. But those worried about the possibility of higher gas prices and climate change want to keep the ban in place.

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