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Lynn Good has had many mentors throughout her career — but few of them were women. "So I'm generationally on the early part of the ascent of women into leadership roles," the Duke Energy president and CEO says.

Lynn Good has had many mentors throughout her career — but few of them were women. "So I'm generationally on the early part of the ascent of women into leadership roles," the Duke Energy president and CEO says. Pat Sullivan/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Pat Sullivan/AP

The Changing Lives Of Women

Duke Energy CEO: 'I Don't Think Of Myself As A Powerful Woman'

Female executives are a rarity in the energy industry. But Lynn Good, CEO of Duke Energy, took the helm of the utility giant just as it was grappling with some very public challenges.

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Sales of traditional hybrids, plug-ins and all-electric cars are down about 5 percent in 2014 — while truck and SUV sales have jumped.

Sales of traditional hybrids, plug-ins and all-electric cars are down about 5 percent in 2014 — while truck and SUV sales have jumped. Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

Business

As Gas Prices Drop, Hybrid Sales Shift Into Low Gear

Gas prices are falling — and so are hybrid car sales. Analysts say better gas mileage for traditional vehicles, combined with low gas prices, is giving hybrids a run for their money.

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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.