Axios

Parking garages are staples of car-clogged cities — but they are ugly and take up prime urban real estate. So building owners and developers are looking for new uses for that space.

The big picture: As urban transportation begins to shift, the massive concrete parking structures that sit under or beside most downtown buildings are being repurposed into food delivery kitchens, e-commerce distribution centers, flood protection and even urban farming.

Fuel cell maker Bloom Energy went public in July 2018, six years after a scandal in which its bankers were found to have misled prospective investors. But Axios has learned that Bloom itself has a history of playing fast and loose with its numbers.

Why it matters: Bloom was one of Silicon Valley's earliest unicorns, with a high-powered board of directors that includes Colin Powell and John Doerr. It's a cautionary tale of what can happen when narrative overtakes results.

16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg refused a $52,000 environmental prize from the Nordic Council on Tuesday, saying the offer was a "huge honor" but that "the climate movement does not need any more awards."

"The Nordic countries have a great reputation around the world when it comes to climate and environmental issues. There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words. But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita ... then it’s a whole other story."

Tesla’s third-quarter revenue fell by $2 billion, or almost 40%, in the U.S., a regulatory filing released Tuesday showed, the company's first drop in more than two years.

Worth noting: However, sales outside the U.S. jumped, with China sales growing 64% to $669 million.

Five cities in California have the nation's highest density of homes with solar panels, while Detroit has the lowest, according to new analysis that uses AI to track solar deployment via high-resolution aerial imagery.

Big oil and gas producers might finally have found a renewable energy they can fully embrace--largely because it has a lot in common with oil and gas.

Driving the news: Up to 40% of the costs of offshore wind, including construction and maintenance of massive structures, overlap with offshore oil industry costs, a new International Energy Agency report finds.

A new policy from AXIS Capital will restrict insurance and investing in coal and tar sands, heightening pressure on other U.S. insurers to take similar moves.

The big picture: All major European insurers, with the exception of Lloyd's, have announced comparable policies. U.S. insurers had been bucking the trend until Chubb stepped forward in July, but AXIS' decision adds momentum to the shift away from not just coal but fossil fuels more broadly.

The risk of wildfires in California prompted what may be the largest deliberate power cut in U.S. history. The growing frequency of such precautions could incentivize residential and commercial customers to turn to on-site power generation.

Why it matters: Such a shift could mean a boon for solar energy systems, but also a comeback for gas-powered generators in areas bearing the brunt of extreme dry weather exacerbated by climate change.

There's stark new evidence that big automakers are divided over how to navigate White House moves to upend mileage and carbon emissions policies.

Driving the news: GM, Toyota, Fiat-Chrysler and others are now backing the Trump administration's move to yank California's power to impose CO2 rules — and by proxy mileage rules — that exceed federal standards.

California's planned blackouts — a response to wildfires — have left health care providers to make difficult decisions and created scenarios that are likely to become only more common in the future, The Verge reports.

Case in point: Winters Healthcare, a community clinic based in Winters, Calif., recently faced the decision of whether to keep a refrigerator full of vaccines running or to keep its community's electronic health care records online — its backup generator couldn't do both.

The California Public Utilities Commission announced Monday it will open an investigation into a series of power shutoffs by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) that were meant to curtail wildfires.

Where it stands: PG&E began to cut power to more than 2 million people over the weekend in an attempt to prevent further fires. The Commission says it will examine how public safety power shutoffs are conducted in the future and seek to "drive down risks of ignitions from utility infrastructure, risks that result from power loss, and the disruption to communities and commerce."

The high-stakes battle between President Trump and California over auto mileage and carbon emissions rules is getting even messier.

Driving the news: GM, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and others announced they are joining the Trump administration's side in litigation over its move to block California from imposing emissions rules — and by proxy mileage requirements — that are tougher than federal standards.