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3 Ways Wind and Solar Can Continue To Grow In a 21st-Century Grid
This briefing by RMI argues that concerns regarding the economic limitations of wind and solar growth—specifically the 'merit order effect' where variable renewables depress wholesale prices—are based on static models that ignore supply-side evolution, demand flexibility, and storage technologies.
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Document type: Briefing
Coal and Renewables in China
This report examines the financial subsidies and externalities associated with coal use in China and evaluates how these subsidies hinder the growth of renewable energy.
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Document type: Report
THE ECONOMICS OF BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the economic value of battery energy storage in the U.S. electricity grid, arguing that 'behind-the-meter' (customer-sited) deployment offers the highest potential value because it can provide the widest array of services. The authors identify thirteen fundamental services across three stakeholder groups—ISO/RTOs, utilities, and customers—and demonstrate through four case studies that 'stacking' multiple services (using a battery for several different purposes over its lifetime) is essential for achieving positive net economic benefits under current cost structures.
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Document type: Report
South Africa is bringing down the class average ‐ IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub‐Saharan Africa, October 2015
This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) discusses the October 2015 IMF Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa, highlighting the region's economic challenges and South Africa's specific vulnerabilities in growth, energy, and exports.
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Document type: Briefing
Iran’s Invisible Opportunity for Energy and Security
This report argues that Iran has a strategic opportunity to replace its costly and ambiguous nuclear power program with a modernized energy strategy focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy. The author contends that shifting away from nuclear power would reduce the risk of proliferation, lower the likelihood of renewed sanctions, and improve regional stability by discouraging a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.
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Document type: Report
Towards Efficient Land Use in Brazil
This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.
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Document type: Report
THE ECONOMICS OF DEMAND FLEXIBILITY
This executive summary from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the economic potential of "demand flexibility" (DF)—the use of technology to shift electricity consumption to lower-cost times. The report argues that DF can significantly reduce both customer electric bills and overall grid investment costs by treating demand as a flexible resource ("flexiwatts") rather than a static load.
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Document type: Executive summary
Are Residential Demand Charges The Next Big Thing in Electricity Rate Design?
This briefing by RMI explores the potential of residential demand charges as a tool for electricity rate design. It argues that as distributed energy resources (DERs) like rooftop solar and electric vehicles increase load variability among residential customers, traditional energy-only charges become inequitable. Demand charges, which bill based on the maximum power used in a cycle, can more accurately reflect grid infrastructure costs, promote customer equity, and provide price signals that encourage load shifting and the adoption of demand-management technologies.
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Document type: Briefing
The Economics of Battery Energy Storage
This executive summary introduces a report by RMI that examines the value of battery-based energy storage on the U.S. electricity grid, specifically focusing on the impact of deployment location, the potential for 'stacking' multiple services to increase value, and the regulatory barriers preventing such utilization.
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Document type: Executive summary
An Input to Indonesian Fuel Price System Reforms
This document introduces a review of international fuel pricing systems intended to support Indonesia in strengthening its 2015 pricing mechanism and protecting consumers from price volatility. It also briefly mentions discussions on Indonesia's battery electric vehicle ecosystem, carbon pricing progress in Southeast Asia, and the scale of Indonesia's energy subsidies in 2024.
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Document type: Report
The Impact of Fossil-Fuel Subsidies on Renewable Electricity Generation
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines how fossil-fuel subsidies act as a barrier to the deployment of renewable electricity. It argues that these subsidies impair the cost competitiveness of renewables, reinforce the dominance of incumbent fossil-fuel systems, and distort investment decisions. The document advocates for fossil-fuel subsidy reform and the pricing of environmental externalities to create a more sustainable energy system.
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Document type: Report
Sheltering From a Gathering Storm: Typhoon Resilience in Vietnam
This case study examines the economic and nonfinancial returns of adaptive, resilient housing designs in Da Nang, Vietnam, specifically focusing on hazards such as typhoons, flooding, and temperature increases.
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Document type: Case study
Government Support to Upstream Oil & Gas in Russia: How subsidies influence the Yamal LNG and Prirazlomnoe projects
This document provides an overview of several reports and case studies concerning government subsidies and fiscal transitions in Russia and other BRICS nations, specifically focusing on upstream oil and gas projects in the Russian Arctic and coal subsidies.
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Document type: Report
Aluguel de Terras no Brasil: Um Mercado a Ser Explorado
This executive summary from the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the underdeveloped state of land rental markets in Brazil. It argues that restrictive legislation and land tenure insecurity hinder the efficient use of land, which could otherwise increase agricultural productivity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by repurposing degraded pastures.
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Document type: Executive summary
The Green Economy in the G-20, Post-Mexico: Implications for Russia
This research paper examines the transition of Russia toward a 'green economy,' analyzing the gap between official policy documents and practical implementation. It highlights Russia's immense natural capital and the critical need to reduce its economic dependence on hydrocarbon exports and improve energy efficiency to ensure long-term sustainable development.
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Document type: Research paper
Extractive sector under pressure to demonstrate developmental obligation
This research paper examines the shifting landscape of Africa's extractive sector, noting the rise of emerging market companies and increasing pressure on all firms to demonstrate developmental and environmental contributions. It argues that Western and OECD companies can gain a competitive edge by adapting their business models to support local processing, reskilling workers, and enhancing transparency.
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Document type: Research paper
Roadmap to a Low Carbon Electricity System in the U.S. and Europe
This executive summary from the Climate Policy Initiative outlines the structural and financial barriers hindering the transition to low-carbon electricity systems in the U.S. and Europe. It argues that current business models for investor-owned utilities and independent power producers are ill-suited for renewable energy and proposes a comprehensive evolution across generation, transmission, market operation, distribution, and customer management to reduce costs and improve system reliability.
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Document type: Executive summary
GreenCape Sector Development Agency Progress Report on Strategic Project Water as a Constraint on Economic Development 2013-2014 Report
This executive summary details the first year of a GreenCape project (2013-2014) aimed at analyzing water consumption and economic productivity in the Western Cape to identify constraints on economic growth. The project shifted from its initial deliverables to develop a conceptual model and a 'framing question' to determine the optimal water sources, quality, and pricing for specific developments, with a particular focus on Saldanha Bay and the Berg Water Management Area.
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Document type: Executive summary
Energy Sector in Bangladesh: An agenda for reforms
This report by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, analyzes the energy sector in Bangladesh, focusing on the fiscal impact of energy subsidies and the government's reform agenda to meet rising electricity demand by 2021.
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Document type: Report
Brazil’s South–South Co-operation Strategies: From Foreign Policy to Public Policy
This research paper by Carlos Milani analyzes the evolution of Brazilian foreign policy, specifically its South–South co-operation (SSC) strategies. It argues for a shift in conceptualizing foreign policy as a 'public policy' rather than a static state policy, reflecting a plurality of domestic actors and interests. The document details Brazil's engagement with Africa and other developing nations through technical co-operation, trade, and political coalitions like BRICS and IBSA, while noting the strategic role of both state agencies and private corporations in these efforts.
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Document type: Research paper