Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact

This briefing from the World Resources Institute's Electricity Initiative outlines the need for large corporate energy buyers and utilities to move beyond individual renewable energy projects toward integrated, system-wide low-carbon strategies to achieve cost-effective greenhouse gas reductions.

• There is significant momentum among corporate buyers and local governments toward decarbonization, with over 330 companies planning carbon emission reductions aligned with climate science and more than 130 global brands committing to match 100 percent of operational energy consumption with renewables or Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Additionally, nearly half of the Fortune 500 have established clean energy or emission reduction targets, and over 300 U.S. cities, towns, or counties have committed to climate action.
• The growth of renewable energy has been concentrated in specific regions, leading to some electricity markets becoming "saturated" with solar and wind projects. Because 100% renewable commitments still rely on integrated grid services and existing fossil capacity, the next phase of low-carbon impact requires system-wide approaches rather than individual projects for single companies.
• To achieve stretch goals for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions, a diverse portfolio of technologies beyond wind and solar should be considered, including nuclear energy, hydro-electric systems, large batteries, electric vehicles, and demand response strategies.
• Large energy buyers can scale their impact by adopting integrated solutions that "green" the overall energy system. An example of such a strategy includes purchasing energy from a blend of existing nuclear and new wind and solar (including RECs), while utilizing on-site energy storage to balance the grid by using off-peak wind and peak solar generation.
• Utilities face challenges in justifying early-action decarbonization to regulators and consumer advocates without a policy mandate, particularly due to uncertainties regarding federal policies and future load requirements. To succeed, utilities and large-scale customers must collaborate on integrated solutions that share benefits with residential customers to avoid a piecemeal allocation of clean power resources.

APA

World Resources Institute (2018). Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/beyond-renewable-energy-new-strategies-for-low-carbon-impact.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact. 2018. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/beyond-renewable-energy-new-strategies-for-low-carbon-impact.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact |date=25 July 2018 |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/beyond-renewable-energy-new-strategies-for-low-carbon-impact.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2018beyond, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Beyond Renewable Energy: New Strategies for Low-Carbon Impact}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/uploads/beyond-renewable-energy-new-strategies-for-low-carbon-impact.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }