Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game

RMI argues that utility-scale energy production and local electricity production, such as rooftop solar, are complementary rather than competing solutions for the energy transition in the United States.

• The debate framing utility-scale energy facilities and local electricity production as competing options is misguided and distracts from the urgent need to reduce pollution and address climate-driven resilience and equity challenges.
• Wind and solar are identified as the least-cost power sources and produce zero emissions, making a combination of utility-scale and local power cost-effective.
• Research from Princeton, MIT, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) indicates that expanding and modernizing the national transmission system is necessary to implement required wind and solar capacity.
• RMI analysis indicates that local solar and storage provide community support during outages caused by other threats or extreme weather, while Vibrant Clean Energy suggests that synergistic optimization of local and utility-scale power increases cost savings.
• To achieve a resilient clean energy future, RMI recommends that pending Congressional infrastructure legislation provide financial support and reforms for local power, utility-scale power, and inter-regional transmission, and that states encourage utilities to plan synergistically with neighbors.

APA

RMI (2021). Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-is-not-a-zero-sum-game/

Chicago

RMI. Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game. 2021. https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-is-not-a-zero-sum-game/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=RMI |title=Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game |date=16 July 2021 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-is-not-a-zero-sum-game/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{rmi2021clean, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Clean Energy Is Not a Zero-Sum Game}}, publisher = {RMI}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/clean-energy-is-not-a-zero-sum-game/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }