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The report examines South Africa's renewable energy landscape in 2014, detailing the regulatory framework, utility-scale and private markets, and the manufacturing of components. It highlights the role of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) in driving capacity, while noting grid constraints and the importance of the Western Cape as an industry hub.

The document examines the potential for low-carbon technologies to address energy poverty in Africa, highlighting that while grid expansion is suitable for urban areas and some rural zones, off-grid and mini-grid renewables are increasingly viable for remote regions. It identifies significant barriers to adoption, including high upfront capital costs, lack of local technical capacity, and the political influence of fossil fuel reserves. Using Morocco's rural electrification programme as a success story, the briefing argues that low-carbon options must be integrated into broader development objectives—such as job creation for youth, health improvements from reduced air pollution, and national energy self-sufficiency—to become politically and economically competitive.

The report details how Illinois municipalities use Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) to pool electricity purchasing power, enabling them to negotiate lower rates and switch to cleaner energy sources. Since 2013, over 90 Illinois towns have transitioned to 100% renewable electricity via Renewable Energy Credits (RECs), increasing demand for wind and solar by over 6 terawatt hours. The document provides case studies from Oak Park and Chicago, analyzes CCA adoption in other states like California and Massachusetts, and offers strategic recommendations for municipalities to move beyond RECs toward local renewable energy investments.

The report proposes a transition for China from fossil fuels to a system based on radical efficiency and renewable energy. It identifies three key areas for innovation: ultralighting and electrifying vehicles to eliminate oil dependence, using 'integrative design' to drastically reduce energy use in industry and buildings, and shifting toward a hybridized, distributed electric grid. The authors suggest these changes can be driven by profit and business innovation rather than just regulation.

The author contends that European electric utilities' financial losses result from failed investment strategies and a failure to adapt to disruptive renewable technologies rather than the technologies themselves. The letter highlights the macroeconomic benefits of renewables in Germany, the technical feasibility of high renewable penetration in Denmark, Spain, and Portugal, and the global trend of non-hydro renewables outproducing nuclear power. It suggests that utilities need new revenue models, such as bidirectional value tariffs, to survive the transition to a decarbonised, distributed energy system.

The report details a September 2013 briefing on America’s Power Plan (APP), focusing on the transition to a high-renewables future in the U.S. Midwest. It examines the need for new utility business models to handle decarbonization and distributed energy resources (DERs), highlights Minnesota's legislative progress on solar and renewable standards, and discusses Xcel Energy's experience integrating variable wind power. Key recommendations include adopting performance-based regulation, streamlining 'soft costs' for solar PV, and integrating distribution planning into state resource processes.

The report identifies a significant range of estimated DPV values driven by differences in local context, input assumptions, and methodologies. While there is general agreement on estimating energy and capacity values, there is less consensus on grid support services and unmonetized values such as financial, security, environmental, and social risks. The analysis highlights that no single study comprehensively evaluated all DPV benefits and costs, and that costs associated with increased deployment are often inadequately assessed.

The report examines the transition of U.S. Navy bases in the Southwest toward microgrids to enhance energy security and integrate renewables. It identifies five key findings: the need for more granular design requirements, a conflict between utility-scale renewable goals and microgrid security, the immediate value of enhanced control systems, the complexities of participating in California's electricity markets, and internal Navy bureaucratic barriers. The document recommends that the Navy, grid operators, and regulators collaborate to define reliability needs, quantify the business case, and remove regulatory hurdles to enable microgrid adoption.

The report analyzes the shift in California's residential solar market from purchasing to leasing, where leased systems grew from less than 10% of new installations in 2007 to over 75% in 2012. It finds that leasing reduces consumer barriers by eliminating up-front costs and simplifying complex processes, and that declining state incentives (CSI) helped lower prices and reduce the cost of federal tax incentives to taxpayers.

The report analyzes the energy landscape of Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, noting a growing dependence on imported fossil fuels despite significant renewable potential. It highlights that while the region leads in hydropower and geothermal energy, resources like wind and solar remain underutilized. The document identifies critical gaps in resource data, socioeconomic assessments, and administrative efficiency, while recommending a 'long, loud, and legal' policy approach to attract investment and achieve a 100 percent renewable electricity grid.

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems integrate heat and electric power production, achieving efficiencies of 70 percent or more compared to less than 45 percent for separate production. In the United States, there are over 4,100 systems with more than 82 GW of installed capacity, primarily in the chemical (29%), petroleum refining (18%), and pulp and paper (14%) industries. The DOE and EPA estimate an untapped potential of 130 GW, which could save U.S. businesses $10 billion annually and further reduce CO2 emissions by 150 million tons per year. Beyond efficiency, CHP provides critical resilience during extreme weather events, as demonstrated during Hurricane Sandy and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. While biomass-fueled CHP offers a path to net carbon negative operations by avoiding methane emissions from waste, widespread deployment is hindered by regulatory and legal barriers, including interconnection standards and backup power rates.

Combined heat and power (CHP) systems in the U.S. offer significantly higher energy efficiency (70% or more) than separate heat and power production. With over 82 GW of installed capacity, CHP is widely used in industrial sectors, particularly chemicals, petroleum refining, and pulp and paper. The document highlights CHP's ability to provide resilient power during extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Sandy, and its potential to reduce CO2 emissions. While there is an untapped potential of 130 GW, deployment is hindered by regulatory and legal barriers. The text also emphasizes the climate benefits of biomass-fueled CHP, which can be net carbon negative and provide reliable baseload power.

The report details a collaborative effort to accelerate the transition of Fort Collins, Colorado, toward a clean energy future. It assesses the current state of Fort Collins Utilities, proposes an accelerated timeline for meeting carbon and renewable goals, and suggests specific enablers such as a new 'FortZED tariff' and enhanced community engagement strategies to drive technology adoption while maintaining utility viability.

The document is a letter to World Bank President Jim Yong Kim arguing that the Bank's continued support for fossil fuels contradicts its climate and poverty reduction priorities. The authors claim that fossil fuel investments fail to provide energy access to the poor and instead fuel overconsumption in wealthy nations. They advocate for a shift toward off-grid renewable energy and demand that the Bank stop financing fossil fuel projects unless they can be proven to be the best alternative for delivering energy services to the poor after a full cost-benefit analysis.

The document argues that traditional utility business models, based on natural monopolies and centralized generation, are ill-equipped for the rise of distributed energy resources (DERs). It proposes a transition from a linear value chain to a 'value constellation' where the utility acts as a platform for value-based transactions. The paper outlines several potential models, including the Integrated Distributed Resource Manager, the Distributed Resource Finance Aggregator, and the Independent Distribution Network Operator, while discussing international examples of transactive grids and differentiated network charges.

The EDGE model is a modular simulation tool developed by RMI to address the lack of analytical tools for evaluating distributed energy resources (DERs). It integrates resource portfolio planning, bulk power dispatch, distribution system simulation via OpenDSS, and rate/regulation accounting to determine the financial and operational impacts on utilities, customers, third-party providers, and society. While designed for utility or regional scales, it is not intended for national-level analysis or as a replacement for full distribution management systems.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) calls for a fundamental shift in how the United States generates and distributes energy to address the increasing frequency and severity of climate-driven disasters. The author advocates for a 'moon-shot challenge' of energy transformation, emphasizing the need for a smarter, more resilient, and distributed power grid, as well as the integration of climate variability assumptions into all new infrastructure and building projects.

The document describes small wind turbines (0.3 to 100 kW) as tools for distributed generation that reduce reliance on fossil-fuel plants and the electrical grid. It details the differences between horizontal axis (HAWT) and vertical axis (VAWT) turbines, the shift from off-grid to grid-connected systems, and the role of community wind projects. It highlights the United States' leadership in manufacturing and installed capacity, while outlining key federal incentives like the Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and the USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).

The Green Economy Coalition supports the UN's Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative but argues it requires more ambition and a specific focus on energy equity. The authors contend that universal energy access is a prerequisite for achieving Millennium Development Goals, particularly in health and education. They advocate for a strategy that prioritises the poorest, measures success through development outcomes rather than infrastructure metrics, and promotes community-led stewardship of local resources. While acknowledging the role of the private sector, the document emphasizes that reaching the most impoverished will require significant public sector and NGO involvement, as 'base of the pyramid' business models often overlook the absolute poorest.

The report examines how the DoD's unique capacity for end-to-end research, development, and procurement can be leveraged for energy innovation. It analyzes three case studies—gas turbines, alternative fuels, and soldier-portable power—and compares the innovation models of DARPA and ARPA-E. While the DoD is a powerful engine for technology, the report notes that its contributions to climate goals depend on the alignment of energy needs with the military's core security mission. It highlights the 'Installation Energy Test Bed' as a successful model for overcoming the 'Valley of Death' in technology commercialization.