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This policy brief by RMI outlines five strategic policies to increase the adoption of air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) and heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) in Illinois to lower household energy bills and meet state decarbonization goals. The document analyzes the techno-economic viability of electrification for single-family homes, highlighting that while heat pumps can reduce operational costs—particularly for those switching from propane or electric resistance heating—high up-front cost premiums remain a primary barrier. RMI recommends a combination of increased targeted incentives, zero-interest financing, rate design reforms, AC-to-heat pump replacement policies, and electric-friendly building standards for new construction.

This policy brief by RMI evaluates the techno-economic potential of hydrogen trucking in India, comparing fuel cell electric trucks (FCETs) and hydrogen internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks against diesel, battery electric (BET), and LNG alternatives. The analysis finds that while FCETs are projected to be more cost-competitive than diesel for long-haul, heavy-duty applications by 2040, they currently face high total cost of ownership (TCO) due to expensive hydrogen fuel, infrastructure, and taxation. The document recommends a coordinated roadmap involving policy incentives, strategic infrastructure planning, and tailored financial solutions to enable hydrogen to complement electrification in decarbonizing India's freight sector.

This report by Ember analyzes the evolving potential of geothermal electricity in Europe, highlighting how technological advances in drilling and reservoir engineering are making geothermal a cost-competitive, firm, low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels. It emphasizes that while Europe pioneered many of these technologies, it now risks losing its leadership to the US and Canada due to a lack of coordinated EU-level policy and investment frameworks.

This policy brief by RMI argues that establishing green shipping corridors is essential for scaling India's green hydrogen ecosystem. It contrasts the limited economic feasibility of domestic coastal routes with the high potential of an international Rotterdam–India–Singapore corridor to aggregate demand and drive down costs for zero-emission fuels.

This report by RMI examines the potential for Distributed Green Ammonia (DGA) production to reduce Africa's reliance on expensive, volatile, and imported nitrogenous fertilizers. It highlights how modular, small-scale green ammonia facilities can lower costs for smallholder farmers, reduce transportation emissions, and leverage renewable energy to improve food security and agricultural yields across the continent.

This report by RMI analyzes the techno-economic pathways for green hydrogen production in India, examining 17 states to evaluate the impact of national and subnational policies on production costs. It compares various project configurations—including stand-alone on-site, CTU-connected, and STU-connected projects—and highlights the critical role of transmission charge waivers and capital subsidies in achieving cost competitiveness against grey hydrogen.

This report presents a National Integrated Clean Cooking Planning (NICCP) approach for Rwanda, utilizing the Integrated Clean Cooking Planning Tool (ICCPT) and a financial model to evaluate two strategic paths: the 'Aligned' plan and the 'CleanStep' plan. The analysis focuses on transitioning households from traditional biomass (firewood and charcoal) to clean cooking technologies, including electricity, LPG, ethanol, and improved biomass stoves, while assessing the associated techno-economic, social, and financial impacts through 2034.

This research paper examines the 'renewables pull' and 'strategic push' factors influencing the relocation of hydrogen-based steelmaking, concluding that both are necessary for an accelerated transition.

This executive summary describes a proposed "cluster development" model designed to scale the integration of green hydrogen within China's industrial sector, which is the country's largest hydrogen consumer. The model aims to overcome challenges related to supply stability and high costs by optimizing the alignment of production and consumption through a "production-storage-transportation-utilization" system.

This briefing by RMI discusses the launch of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) in Indonesia and provides lessons on decarbonizing the electricity system through a model that analyzes coal-generating units in the Java-Bali grid.

This research paper evaluates the sustainability, barriers, and opportunities for biochar production in Colombia, identifying it as a net-negative emissions technology with the potential to avoid CO2 emissions by transforming residual biomass.

This report examines how Energy Service Agreements (ESAs) and federal incentives, specifically from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, can be used to scale deep energy efficiency and electrification retrofits for affordable multifamily housing (AMFH) in California.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the incremental costs of building zero-energy (ZE) and zero-energy ready (ZER) single-family homes in the United States. It argues that the cost premiums for these homes are modest and often fall below consumer willingness-to-pay and long-term savings thresholds, suggesting that outdated perceptions of high costs are a primary barrier to market penetration.

RMI's briefing outlines a market-driven pathway to limit global temperature increases to 1.5°C by the end of the century. The analysis suggests that a nearly 100 percent renewable energy system is feasible by the mid-2050s if the adoption of clean energy follows the disruptive S-curve patterns seen in previous industrial revolutions, such as the rise of the automobile.

The report details the development of the National Energy Transition Strategy (NETS) for Saint Lucia, a collaborative effort between the Government of Saint Lucia (GoSL) and the utility LUCELEC, facilitated by RMI-CWR and the Clinton Climate Initiative. The strategy uses an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to identify the most cost-effective energy portfolio to reduce diesel reliance and carbon emissions over a 20-year horizon while maintaining grid reliability.

The document proposes a strategic commercialization path for fuel cells and hydrogen (H2) that avoids the need for immediate, massive bulk-supply infrastructure. The strategy relies on the development of "Hypercars"—ultralight, high-efficiency vehicles—and the integration of fuel-cell deployment between buildings and vehicles. By first establishing fuel cells in buildings for co- or trigeneration and using decentralized "hydrogen appliances" for production, the market can build the volume necessary to reduce fuel-cell costs to levels competitive for vehicles. Ultimately, the strategy envisions a transition from decentralized production to bulk supply, including wellhead reforming of natural gas with carbon sequestration and the conversion of hydroelectric dams into "Hydro-Gen" plants.

This supplementary technical note describes the methodologies and unit cost models used to estimate the 'cost gap' for five key clean energy technologies in India: Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), offshore wind, solar photovoltaic (PV), electric vehicles (EVs), and green hydrogen (GH2). It details how these cost gaps are calculated relative to conventional benchmarks and how they are integrated into the Green Economy Model (GEM) to analyze the macroeconomic impacts of various levels of government support on GDP, employment, and emissions.

The Reinventing Fire (RF) transportation analysis outlines a methodology to estimate the techno-economic potential for efficiency gains in the U.S. transportation sector from 2010 to 2050. The report details modeling approaches for four subsectors—autos, heavy trucks, airplanes, and remaining sectors—focusing on 'Improved Design' and 'Improved Use' pathways to reduce fossil fuel consumption. It also includes a model for biofuel supply and cost, and calculates the overall societal net present value of these transitions.

This case study analyzes the techno-economic feasibility of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in Guangdong Province, China, from 2022 to 2030, focusing on 14 use cases to identify transition opportunities and the factors influencing total cost of ownership (TCO) parity with diesel trucks.