Search Climate Insights Directory

This policy brief argues that secure land tenure is a prerequisite for the just engagement of indigenous communities in South Africa's energy transition. Focusing on the Boegoebaai green hydrogen hub in the Northern Cape, the document highlights how the Richtersveld community's unresolved land restitution claims and historical dispossessions risk further marginalization. It calls for the conclusion of land claims, the adoption of inclusive partnership models (similar to those in Canada), and the institutionalization of free, prior, and informed consent to prevent land alienation and ensure indigenous people benefit as owners or partners rather than mere beneficiaries.

The report summarizes dialogues on enhancing South African state capacity, highlighting the need for a $250 billion energy transition, the professionalization of the public service to reduce political interference, and the urgent need to address municipal infrastructure backlogs and the legacies of state capture.

This report examines land-use management in the Lephalale Local Municipality, focusing on the challenges of a municipality that owns almost no land within its urban edge. It details the municipality's strategies for land acquisition, the provision of integrated human settlements, and the incremental introduction of land-use schemes in rural areas under traditional authorities, specifically the Seleka Traditional Authority. The document highlights the influence of major mining and energy companies, the impact of the Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA), and the complexities of intergovernmental relations.

This brochure describes the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), a Johannesburg-based African research institute founded in May 2010. PARI focuses on research into constraints to effective governance, institutional design, and state-society relations to promote equitable policies and reduce poverty and inequality in South Africa and the global South.

This report by the Public Affairs Research Institute analyzes the financial and operational crisis facing South African municipal electricity distribution and proposes integrating existing rooftop solar PV and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as a pathway to reduce bulk costs and improve reliability.

This document is an appendix to a toolkit by RMI that provides a comprehensive set of questions for regulators to use when evaluating how utilities incorporate Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) incentives into their Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs). It aims to help regulators identify cost-saving opportunities and assess the rationale behind utility assumptions regarding clean energy tax credits, hydrogen, carbon capture, and electrification.

This fact sheet details the technical and financial assumptions used in an analysis of heat pump adoption in California, specifying system efficiencies, energy load sources, and utility rates for electricity, natural gas, and propane.

This guide provides the data sources, assumptions, and methodology used by RMI to create 'State Clean Energy Eco' graphics. These graphics illustrate the economic, social, and health opportunities associated with a transition to a net zero carbon US economy by 2050, focusing on state-level metrics across electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and human impact.

This RMI fact sheet argues that renewables and battery storage are now more effective than natural gas for supporting economic development and energy access in the Global South, offering superior reliability, deployment speed, and cost-effectiveness while avoiding the long-term financial and security risks associated with gas infrastructure.

This fact sheet outlines the data sources and methodology used by RMI to estimate peak demand capacity and savings from various energy efficiency, grid technology, and repowering solutions by 2030.

This executive summary outlines the methodology used by RMI to analyze the greenhouse gas (GHG) and co-benefits of three specific clean transportation policies in Illinois: electric vehicle sales standards, GHG planning for infrastructure, and increased transit investment.

This document outlines the methodology used by RMI to estimate the state-level benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), focusing on funding flows from tax credits, rebates, grants, and loans, as well as public health and jobs co-benefits.

This document outlines the methodology used by RMI to estimate the economic and health benefits of reducing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and decarbonizing surface transportation in Minnesota. The analysis compares 'business-as-usual' scenarios against targets for VMT reduction and net-zero emissions by 2050.

This fact sheet describes 'Newtonian Shift', an immersive business strategy gaming workshop developed by the Advanced Energy Centre (AEC) at MaRS and Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Electricity Innovation Lab (e-Lab). The workshop uses a room-sized board game to simulate years of energy-sector transformation in a single day, allowing participants to test business models and partnerships while experiencing the transition from the perspectives of various stakeholders.

This appendix details the methodology and results of a study conducted by OTS R&D, Inc. between August and December 2025 to evaluate the short-term performance of heat pump systems using virgin, reclaimed, and recovered R-410A refrigerants. The study found no statistically significant performance penalty when using reclaimed refrigerant that meets AHRI 700 purity standards.

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 document outlines the analytical methodology and specific utility-level assumptions used by RMI to estimate changes in residential utility bills under various tariff structures during electrification. The analysis utilizes NREL's ResStock dataset for building load profiles and integrates tariff data from Genability and RateAcuity, with specific adjustments made for utilities in Minnesota, Maryland, Maine, and Massachusetts to ensure consistency and accuracy in bill calculations.

This guide provides a five-step checklist for utilities to engage underserved communities in the clean energy transition, focusing on identification, inclusive participation, accessible input processes, co-design of programs, and data-driven progress tracking.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) investigates the relationship between vehicle weight and safety, challenging the perception that lighter vehicles are inherently more dangerous. Using a virtually modeled ultralight concept vehicle (the 'UltraLight') compared against a 2007 Ford Edge, the study demonstrates that while an unoptimized ultralight design may offer less protection to its own driver, it is significantly less aggressive toward other road users and can be improved through iterative design without adding mass.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the gap in industrial electric productivity across the United States. It argues that while exogenous factors like electricity prices and state incentives play a role, the primary constraints are internal business barriers. By addressing these barriers through holistic design and policy support, the U.S. industrial sector could save 300,000 GWh annually.