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This guide by RMI defines energy system resilience as a community's ability to maintain critical services during and after extreme weather, distinguishing it from reliability, which refers to day-to-day grid performance. The document outlines the necessity of resilience due to climate volatility, aging infrastructure, and increasing grid strain, while highlighting that vulnerable populations and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are disproportionately affected by outages.

This case study examines Renewvia's transition from traditional mini-grids to Okra's mesh-grid technology in Nigeria. After facing reliability issues and high costs with mini-grids, Renewvia deployed a 75-connection mesh-grid pilot in Emakalakala in 2024, which resulted in significantly lower capex, higher uptime, and improved revenue performance, leading to a strategic shift to deploy over 21,000 mesh-grid connections.

This fact sheet from RMI explains the function and application of renewably powered minigrids (and microgrids), detailing three primary configurations—isolated, undergrid, and interconnected—and providing global examples of their use in enhancing energy resilience and access in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States.

This case study examines the transition of Kotzebue, Alaska, from a total reliance on imported diesel to a diversified energy mix incorporating wind, solar, and battery storage to increase energy independence and reduce cost volatility.

RMI describes the role of solar-plus-battery-storage microgrids in creating community resilience hubs, particularly during extreme weather events like hurricanes. Based on a cohort of leaders from various institutions, the guide outlines five key factors—facility suitability, electricity costs/net metering, energy efficiency, battery sizing strategies, and available funding—that can help non-taxable entities successfully implement microgrid projects in low-to-moderate income US communities.

This case study describes a pilot project in Bassa, Nigeria, where Creeds Energy used Okra's mesh-grid technology to create a 'Hub-and-Spoke' power sharing network for 50 households. By connecting high-powered prosumers and businesses (hubs) to low-powered residential users (spokes), the project reduced the average CAPEX per connection from $642 to $450 and achieved over 99% up-time.

This case study describes the Luz en Casa Amazonia Microgrid Pilot Project in Copal Urco, Peru, implemented by the acciona.org Foundation. The project replaced a limited diesel-fed system with a solar PV microgrid to provide more reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity to a rural community in the Amazonian rainforest.

This case study describes the Puerto Rico Community Energy Resilience Initiative (CERI), a program designed to increase energy resilience in low-to-moderate income communities through the installation of solar-plus-storage microgrids at critical facilities.

This case study describes the implementation of an Okra Solar mesh-grid system in the remote villages of Steung Chrov, Ta Daok, and Prek Spean in Cambodia. The project aimed to provide a commercially sustainable alternative to national grid extension and diesel mini-grids for low-density, remote populations.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines a community-based approach to enhancing energy resilience in the Upper Roaring Fork Valley, Colorado, in partnership with Holy Cross Energy (HCE). Following the 2018 Lake Christine Fire, which nearly disabled power to the region, RMI led a five-month stakeholder process to identify and prioritize distributed energy solutions. The report advocates for a shift from traditional grid hardening and isolated backup generators toward integrated distributed energy resources (DERs) that provide both emergency backup ("black sky") and daily operational ("blue sky") value.

This case study describes EarthSpark International's implementation of a solar-powered microgrid in Les Anglais, Haiti, to provide reliable 24-hour electricity. It details the technical, logistical, and regulatory challenges overcome during the project, the development of the SparkMeter billing system, and the resulting economic benefits for local residents and businesses.

This briefing by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes an integrative business model for developing net zero energy (NZE) or ultralow energy districts. The model aims to make NZE developments life-cycle cost neutral or better compared to business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios by utilizing an Integrated Energy Services Provider (IESP) to manage energy systems, financing, and performance requirements, thereby reducing upfront costs for parcel developers and lowering energy bills for tenants.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and Carbon War Room profiles 10 case studies of islands and remote communities transitioning from oil-dependent electricity systems to renewable microgrids. It identifies the drivers of change, technical and administrative challenges, and lessons learned to provide a roadmap for other isolated communities seeking to reduce costs and oil dependence through wind, solar, hydro, and energy storage.

This report details the findings and recommendations from a two-day workshop conducted by the Electricity Innovation Lab (e-Lab) and Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest (NAVFAC Southwest) in April 2013. The document examines the technical, economic, and regulatory challenges of implementing microgrids on U.S. Navy bases to improve energy security and integrate renewable energy.

This briefing is a transcript of an address by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) delivered on July 17, 2013, at Appalachian State University. Lovins advocates for the adoption of 'integrative design' and 'natural capitalism' within university campuses to eliminate energy and material waste. He argues that universities should serve as living laboratories where students use a 'beginner's mind' to redesign buildings, food systems, and infrastructure, while simultaneously breaking down academic silos to foster transdisciplinary learning.

This case study describes the implementation of a hybrid solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) at the Hartenbos wastewater treatment works (WWTW) in the Western Cape. The project aims to ensure continuous operation during loadshedding, reduce municipal peak demand, and lower reliance on diesel backup.