Search Climate Insights Directory
23 results
Renewables shield Spanish consumers from elevated gas prices
This report by Ember analyzes how Spain's strategic expansion of renewable energy has decoupled electricity prices from volatile gas prices, shielding consumers during the 2026 energy crisis triggered by the US-Israel war with Iran. It details the reduction in gas influence on power prices, the resulting savings for typical households, and policy responses following the April 2025 Iberian blackout to improve grid resilience and electrification.
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Document type: Report
A Smarter Approach to Cost Trackers to Support Affordability
This report by RMI examines the use of cost tracker mechanisms by investor-owned utilities in the United States, arguing that their overutilization can weaken cost-containment incentives and increase energy burdens for households. It proposes a four-pronged regulatory strategy to help regulators manage these mechanisms, improve transparency, and align utility spending with customer needs.
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Document type: Report
ResPT – steps to a resilient electric bus system
This guide, produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute as part of the ResPT project, provides recommendations to public transport authorities, operators, and grid operators to increase the resilience of electrified bus systems in Sweden. Based on a May 2025 workshop, it identifies critical vulnerabilities in grid capacity, depot siting, winter operations, and data standards, proposing a framework of 'prepare-absorb-recover-adapt' to mitigate disruptions.
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Document type: Guide
Power grid issues are the leading cause of blackouts
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the causes of power blackouts, arguing that failures in network infrastructure, human error, and extreme weather are the primary drivers rather than renewable energy generation. It highlights a significant global investment gap in grid infrastructure, which the IEA warns could become the "weak link" in the energy transition.
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Document type: Briefing
Distributed solar and flexibility can ease Türkiye’s soaring cooling demands
This report by Ember examines how distributed solar energy and flexibility solutions can address the increasing electricity demand for cooling in Türkiye. It highlights the alignment between solar peak output and midday cooling peaks, the need for a comprehensive air conditioner database to improve demand forecasting, and the role of energy storage and demand-side management in maintaining grid stability.
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Document type: Report
Reimagining the Electricity Sector in Island Nations with Virtual Power Plants
This report examines how distributed virtual power plants (VPPs) can address energy challenges in island nations, specifically focusing on the Caribbean. Using a case study from the US Virgin Islands, it analyzes how aggregating decentralized energy resources can improve grid stability, resilience, and affordability while reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
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Document type: Report
Local Governments Can Achieve Texas-Sized Impacts from Distributed Energy Assets and Virtual Power Plants
This briefing by RMI outlines how local governments in Texas can accelerate the deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs) and virtual power plants (VPPs) to enhance grid reliability, reduce costs, and increase resilience against extreme weather.
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Document type: Briefing
Reimagining Utility Climate Risk Planning
This briefing by RMI outlines a four-step framework for utilities and regulators to integrate physical and transition climate risks into long-term planning to ensure grid reliability and affordability. It argues that current utility planning often silos climate risk or ignores transition risks, leading to higher costs for ratepayers, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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Document type: Briefing
Virtual Power Plant Flipbook
The Virtual Power Plant Flipbook is a guide by RMI designed to help utilities and stakeholders implement virtual power plants (VPPs) by providing a collection of case studies and a comparison matrix. It defines VPPs as aggregations of distributed energy resources used to enhance grid reliability, resilience, and decarbonization.
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Document type: Guide
The Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment Program: Federal financing for an equitable, clean economy
This report by RMI analyzes the US Department of Energy's Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program, specifically how utilities can use its low-cost financing to refinance legacy fossil fuel asset costs and invest in clean energy. Through modeling of two utilities—Alliant in Iowa and Ameren in Missouri—the report demonstrates that EIR financing can significantly reduce costs for ratepayers compared to traditional utility financing or securitization.
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Document type: Report
We Don’t Need Another Interregional Transmission Study to Take Action
This policy brief by RMI argues that the United States does not need further studies to justify expanding interregional electricity transmission, as the need is already well-documented. The author contends that current grid bottlenecks are delaying clean energy projects and increasing vulnerability to extreme weather, urging Congress to implement minimum transfer requirements, mandate proactive planning, and streamline permitting processes.
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Document type: Policy brief
Reality Check: The United States Has the Only Major Power Grid without a Plan
This policy brief argues that the United States power grid lacks a comprehensive national development plan, unlike the European Union and China, leaving it fragmented and vulnerable to climate-related extreme weather. It advocates for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to mandate minimum inter-regional power transfer capabilities and establish a robust planning process to improve grid resilience and resource sharing.
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Document type: Policy brief
The New (Ab)Normal
The briefing 'The New (Ab)Normal' describes the escalating frequency and severity of climate-driven catastrophes, using the 2020 wildfire season in Colorado and the western United States as a primary example. It argues that the world has entered a state of 'continuous escalation of catastrophe' and outlines five critical areas of impact: mass migration, health threats, financial instability, the need for resilient rebuilding, and the necessity of updating the electric grid. The author emphasizes that immediate global action to reduce emissions by 50 percent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050 is required to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
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Document type: Briefing
Blackouts and California’s Clean Energy Transition
This policy brief examines the rolling blackouts in California during a historic heat wave in August 2020, arguing that the outages were caused by a combination of extreme weather and insufficient resource capacity rather than the state's clean energy goals. The author contends that a diverse portfolio of flexible, clean resources—including battery storage and green hydrogen—is essential for 21st-century grid resilience against climate-driven extreme weather.
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Document type: Policy brief
Lessons for Grid Resilience from the Upper Roaring Fork Valley
This report details a Rocky Mountain Institute-supported process in Colorado's Upper Roaring Fork Valley involving Holy Cross Energy to improve grid resilience against hazards like fires. It emphasizes the necessity of utility-community partnerships and the integration of distributed clean energy technologies to provide both daily and emergency benefits.
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Document type: Report
Implementing Puerto Rico’s Energy Transformation
This briefing by RMI argues for the immediate implementation of Puerto Rico's energy transformation, emphasizing the urgent need for solar energy, battery storage, and energy efficiency to address grid instability following hurricanes and earthquakes.
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Document type: Briefing
Designing a Climate-Positive Future with Zero-Energy Districts
This briefing by RMI argues that shifting the focus from individual net-zero energy buildings to net-zero energy districts allows for greater cost-effectiveness, better grid integration, and optimized clean mobility through urban-scale planning.
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Document type: Briefing
Energy Storage
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes the role of energy storage in enhancing grid resilience, integrating intermittent renewable energy, and managing peak demand. It details various storage technologies—including pumped-storage hydropower, batteries, compressed air, thermal, hydrogen, and flywheels—comparing their technical specifications, costs, and current global applications.
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Document type: Fact sheet
A Resilient and Cost-Effective Energy Future for Puerto Rico
This RMI briefing argues that renewable energy and distributed energy resources (DERs) are cost-effective, resilient, and rapidly deployable solutions for rebuilding Puerto Rico's electrical grid following the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
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Document type: Briefing
THE ROLE OF RENEWABLE AND DISTRIBUTED ENERGY IN A RESILIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE ENERGY FUTURE FOR PUERTO RICO
This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) assesses the potential for renewable and distributed energy technologies to support the rebuild of Puerto Rico's electrical grid following the destruction caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017. The document argues that solar PV, wind, battery storage, and microgrids are now cost-competitive and can enhance the island's energy resilience and reliability compared to traditional fossil-fuel-based systems.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing