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The report uses Energy Policy Simulator modeling to analyze seven major federal policy shifts occurring between January 2025 and May 2026. The findings indicate that these changes will lead to increased energy costs, diminished public health outcomes, constraints on new power generation, and greater financial pressure on utilities and households through 2040.

The analysis finds that recent federal policy shifts—including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the repeal of various EPA standards—will lead to higher energy costs for households, significant GDP and job losses, and increased healthcare spending due to worsening air pollution. While a temporary boom in renewables is expected due to safe-harbor tax credit rules through 2030, the report forecasts a sharp contraction in clean energy capacity and a continued reliance on coal power after 2031.

The paper examines the potential for Indigenous-led electricity transmission in Canada, advocating for a transition from passive equity stakes to full project leadership. It highlights the economic benefits of regulated rate-of-return models for community revenue and proposes a financing structure using Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) via the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA) and the Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation (CILGC) to overcome structural barriers like the Indian Act.

The paper advocates for Indigenous-led electricity transmission projects in Canada, moving beyond passive equity stakes to active project leadership. It highlights the economic potential of a national grid, the role of Indigenous ownership in reducing diesel dependency and funding community services, and proposes a financing model using the First Nations Financial Management Board (FNFMB) and the Canada Indigenous Loan Guarantee Corporation (CILGC) to overcome capital barriers.

The report argues that meeting U.S. electricity demand growth through 2030 with a clean energy portfolio is more affordable and reliable than a fossil-fuel-heavy approach. Modeling shows that a clean energy scenario could save consumers $5.1 billion annually by 2030 and significantly reduce risks associated with volatile fuel prices and extreme weather. The analysis emphasizes the role of solar, wind, battery storage, and demand-side flexibility in reducing system costs and carbon emissions while maintaining grid resilience.

Virtual power plants (VPPs) are reaching scales that rival traditional power plants, with some programs exceeding 1 GW. Despite this, the document finds that utilities often fail to properly model VPPs in integrated resource plans (IRPs) and distribution system plans (DSPs), frequently treating them as fixed load adjustments rather than selectable resources. This planning gap leads to an underestimation of VPP value and a risk of redundant infrastructure investment. The author recommends that regulators and utilities develop detailed resource attributes for VPPs, allow for their growth in models, and evaluate their benefits across both bulk power and distribution systems.

Indonesia requires an estimated USD 24 billion to expand its transmission infrastructure by 47.76 thousand circuit kilometers between 2025 and 2034. Because the state-owned utility PLN cannot fund this alone, the report proposes shifting from corporate-level finance to project finance structures using special purpose vehicles (SPVs) and long-term revenue contracts. The evaluated models include leasing, joint ventures, public-private partnerships (PPPs), infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs), and collective investment schemes for infrastructure (CIS-DINFRA). Successful implementation depends on three policy enablers: a dedicated transmission fee, off-balance sheet treatment, and targeted fiscal support.

The briefing examines the potential of Energy Resource Interconnection Service (ERIS) to address load growth and high energy prices in the PJM region. Based on analysis by Aurora Energy Research, the document asserts that wind and solar resources electing ERIS are financially viable and could save ratepayers nearly $11 billion over a decade if 10 GW are deployed by 2028. It calls for PJM to decouple ERIS studies from Network Resource Interconnection Service (NRIS) tracks and minimize network upgrade requirements to accelerate deployment.

The report argues that substituting tax-exempt public debt for investor-owned utility (IOU) equity and taxable debt can significantly lower transmission costs for ratepayers in New England. It identifies two primary paths: strengthening existing quasi-public entities or creating a new purpose-built transmission authority. The author emphasizes that any such vehicle must have a clear statutory mandate for FERC-jurisdictional transmission, non-recourse revenue-bond authority, the ability to form public-private partnerships, and governance structures that ensure state accountability and risk control.

The document examines the surge in data center demand in California, driven by generative AI, and warns that without new statewide policies, this growth could increase electricity costs for ratepayers, delay the clean energy transition, and threaten grid reliability. It highlights the risks of fossil-fueled backup generators on local air quality and recommends that data centers pay for their own clean energy generation and grid connection costs.

Upgrading the millions of US homes relying on electric resistance heating to air-source heat pumps (ASHPs) and heat pump water heaters (HPWHs) offers significant benefits for affordability, grid reliability, and climate goals. For single-family homes, these upgrades can save households an average of $1,530 annually and reduce total carbon pollution by approximately 40%. At scale, such transitions could reduce US residential summer peak demand by 11 GW and winter peak demand by 51 GW. The report advocates for updating building energy codes to discourage electric resistance in new construction and retrofits, setting specific replacement targets, and implementing midstream incentive programs and on-bill financing to overcome up-front cost barriers.

The document examines water use in next-generation geothermal systems, including enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), closed-loop geothermal systems (CLGS), and Superhot Rock (SHR) geothermal. It distinguishes between water withdrawal and consumption, noting that while water is essential, innovations can minimize its use. Key findings indicate that approximately 90% of next-generation geothermal can use non-freshwater sources and that air-cooled binary systems significantly reduce water consumption compared to wet-cooled steam systems. The document highlights a trade-off where the most water-efficient systems are often the most capital-intensive. Recommendations include increasing the use of alternative water sources, deploying CLGS and air-cooled technologies, and improving transparency in water usage reporting.

The document highlights the economic and environmental benefits of transitioning US households from electric resistance heating to heat pumps, noting potential annual national savings of nearly $20 billion and a significant reduction in peak electricity demand.

The report defines clean firm generation as dispatchable, low-emission electricity sources that do not rely on weather, including nuclear fission, fusion, geothermal, and carbon-capture-enabled fossil or bioenergy. It argues that integrating these technologies can significantly lower the total amount of wind, solar, and storage capacity needed, thereby reducing land use, critical mineral requirements, and overall system costs. The authors identify a 'missing middle' or 'valley of death' in financing for these capital-intensive projects and propose a multi-layered policy approach—combining RD&D, direct procurement, and technology-neutral targets—to achieve systemic bankability.

The briefing proposes Bring-Your-Own (BYO) tariffs to allow large energy users, such as data centers, to fund their own power resources to speed up grid connection and reduce financial risks for other ratepayers. It distinguishes these from 'baseline' tariffs and highlights specific examples of BYO and Clean Transition programs in the US, including initiatives by PJM, NV Energy, and Georgia Power.

The report argues that European security of supply planning and clean procurement policies have been uncoordinated, often resulting in capacity mechanisms that favor fossil fuels and contracts that distort short-term market signals. It proposes a shift toward 'market-aligned' contracting—such as index REC structures—and co-optimized multi-product markets that separately value energy, capacity, and clean attributes to attract clean investment without sacrificing operational efficiency.

The document outlines the complex regulatory and permitting landscape for transmission in Colorado, contrasting the processes for public utilities and independent developers. It highlights the role of the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority (CETA) in addressing transmission gaps identified in a 2024 study, specifically through its ability to issue revenue bonds, exercise eminent domain, and facilitate public-private partnerships to advance complex projects that traditional utility planning might overlook.

The document highlights the role of vehicle-grid integration (VGI) and bidirectional charging in supporting California's transition to a clean grid. It notes that while the state requires massive investments in new energy resources and transmission to meet the 100 Percent Clean Energy Act (SB 100) targets, the use of electric vehicle (EV) batteries as energy storage can lower these costs. Specifically, it suggests that 50 percent V2G enrollment could save over $10 billion annually in grid costs by 2045.

The report analyzes 65 state-level tariffs to identify mechanisms that protect ratepayers from the costs of surging demand from large energy users. It highlights five key safeguards: minimum contract terms, minimum monthly billing demands, collateral requirements, exit fees, and capacity reassignment. The author argues that while these tariffs provide a foundation for fair cost allocation, they should be paired with broader strategies like grid flexibility and optimized planning to ensure reliability and affordability.

The document argues that state regulators must actively leverage new legislation to deploy advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), such as grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, to reduce consumer bills and accelerate the interconnection of new generation. It outlines four common legislative approaches—planning, siting and permitting, cost recovery, and study requirements—and provides specific recommendations for integrating ATTs into integrated resource plans (IRPs) and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) processes to overcome utility incentives that favor expensive capital expenditures over cost-efficient ATT solutions.