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This report by RMI examines the challenges of forecasting large electricity loads—such as data centers and advanced manufacturing—in the United States. It argues that traditional forecasting methods are insufficient for the rapid growth and unique operational characteristics of these loads, which can lead to risks in grid reliability and customer affordability. The document provides a framework for understanding load characteristics, outlines best practices for utilities, and offers specific regulatory actions to ensure forecasts are thorough, up-to-date, and validated.

This case study examines the 'Varanasi model' for scaling rooftop solar (RTS) in India under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana. By coordinating state, district, and city administrations with utilities and banks, Varanasi significantly increased RTS installations between February and December 2024, providing a blueprint for other Indian districts to achieve renewable energy targets.

This case study examines the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) for the Block Island Wind Farm, the first operational offshore wind farm in the United States. Developed by Deepwater Wind (later acquired by Ørsted), the project focused on improving electricity reliability and environmental quality for the town of New Shoreham by connecting the island to the mainland power grid for the first time.

This case study describes how Orange County Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is reducing methane emissions through a dual strategy of organic waste diversion via composting and the implementation of a 'Smart Landfill Program' (SLP) utilizing automation, drones, and robotic sensors.

This research paper examines social-ecological interactions in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands using a modified driver-response conceptual model to analyze how human and physical processes mutually condition one another in response to global change.

This research paper examines the intersection of climate change and globalization in the U.S.-Mexico border region, focusing on water scarcity and the potential for binational social learning to increase resilience.

This research paper examines the dynamics of cross-border collaboration in climate variability research, specifically drawing on three international projects between the US and Argentina to identify factors that foster or impede the production of high-quality, usable knowledge.

This research paper examines the 'environmentalization' of social struggles among the communities of Pau Preto, Pau de Légua, and Quilombo da Lapinha in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil, who organized as 'Vazanteiros em Movimento'. Using Political Ecology and Critical Sociology, the study analyzes how sustainable development ideologies facilitated agribusiness expansion via compensatory parks for irrigated fruit farming projects, while simultaneously sparking a territorial reclamation movement within the environmental sphere.

This research paper examines the relationship between electricity supply, pricing, and groundwater pumping for irrigation, focusing on the case of Mexico as a critical intersection of climate, water, and energy challenges.

This report by RMI uses polyester as a case study to analyze how product definitions and demand from retail sectors can accelerate the market for low-emissions chemicals. It identifies specific technological pathways to reduce the lifecycle emissions of polyester t-shirts and argues that setting emissions reduction thresholds at upstream stages (such as the PET resin step) is more effective at driving chemical industry decarbonization than setting them at the finished fabric stage.

This research paper examines water management challenges in arid and semiarid regions of the Americas, arguing that traditional integrated river basin management must be supplemented with approaches focusing on social, ecological, and hydroclimatic interactions to enhance resilience.

This research paper examines the overexploitation of aquifers in Mexico, specifically focusing on the municipality of Hermosillo, Sonora, where agricultural water consumption exceeds aquifer recharge and is driven by subsidies.

This research paper examines the role of stakeholder participation and multi-tiered institutional arrangements in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), arguing that a failure to integrate local users into decision-making processes leads to water insecurity and threatens vulnerable populations.

This research paper examines water governance in Chile's Maipo River basin, analyzing the intersection of neoliberal water laws, increasing water scarcity due to climate variability, and social mobilization. The author focuses on the impact of river sectioning laws, the Alto Maipo hydropower conflict, and the contested meanings of water scarcity to advocate for social and environmental justice in policy debates.

This research paper examines the gap between the perceived benefits of jatropha-based bioenergy and the actual outcomes in Yucatan, Mexico, arguing that popular discourses regarding its role in sustainability and rural development are flawed.

This research paper examines the challenges and potential for renewable energy development on Navajo Nation lands, arguing that progress is hindered by a failure to account for tribal values, political dynamics, and complex regulatory procedures.

This case study analyzes the 'Reunión de Consenso' (Consensus Meeting) hosted by Argentina's National Meteorological Service (SMN), focusing on the socio-cultural and institutional dynamics involved in producing quarterly climate forecasts through a collaborative network of academic, technical, and scientific institutions.

This research paper describes the collaborative dynamics of two projects aimed at providing climate services and drought monitoring in southern South America, specifically focusing on the southwest of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 350-mile underground electricity transmission line connecting wind energy in MISO jurisdiction states to the PJM market, running from Mason City, Iowa to Yorkville, Illinois. The project is the first of its kind in the United States and is designed to be the longest underground HVDC line in the country, utilizing existing railroad rights of way to minimize community opposition and siting challenges.

This research paper examines how water policies in the arid Americas interact with land and neoliberal policies to exacerbate vulnerabilities among disadvantaged groups across rural and urban settings. The authors analyze four specific case studies to demonstrate how disconnected management, water rights transfers, and competition for resources increase disparities and recommend more inclusive policymaking and systematic data collection to protect livelihoods.