Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview

The document outlines the technical framework for RMI's State Clean Energy Eco graphics, which project the scale of energy transformation required for the US to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It details the use of the Princeton Net Zero America (NZA) project as the primary data source, supplemented by the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), NREL Cambium scenarios, and population projections. The methodology covers specific metrics across electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and human impact, including a detailed approach for downscaling potential federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the state level. To account for uncertainty in 2050 projections, metrics are generally rounded to one significant figure.

• RMI utilized several primary data sources to estimate 2050 metrics for a net zero US economy, with the Princeton Net Zero America (NZA) project serving as the main source using the "E+RE+" (higher electrification, higher renewable energy) scenario.
• To estimate potential federal investment from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by state, RMI used a combination of downscaling national values from the NZA "E+RE+" scenario for tax credits, downscaling Congressional Budget Office scores for non-tax credit provisions, and using official formula funding allocations where available.
• The graphics include specific 2050 projections for infrastructure and technology deployment, such as the number of new wind turbines (assuming 3 megawatts per turbine), new solar panels (assuming 320 watts per panel), and the stock of electric light-duty vehicles.
• Human impact metrics include projections for avoided asthma attacks and premature deaths due to reduced air pollution, with the latter monetized using an assumed Value of Statistical Life of $10 million (converted to 2023$).
• Current greenhouse gas emissions for the electricity, industry, transportation, and buildings sectors were retrieved from state EPS models for the year 2021.

APA

RMI (n.d.). Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/10/clean_economy_graphics_documentation.pdf

Chicago

RMI. Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview. n.d. https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/10/clean_economy_graphics_documentation.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview |url=https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/10/clean_economy_graphics_documentation.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmindclean, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview}}, institution = {RMI}, url = {https://rmi.org/app/uploads/2023/10/clean_economy_graphics_documentation.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }