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This introductory guide by RMI explains performance-based regulation (PBR) as a tool to modernize utility regulatory frameworks to better accommodate renewable energy, distributed resources, and electrification while addressing affordability and emissions.

This guide by RMI provides five strategic tips for utility regulators to maintain progress on long-term climate and energy goals during the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing the use of virtual technology and the prioritization of decarbonization efforts.

This briefing discusses the mandate given to the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to investigate the transition to a performance-based regulation (PBR) model to align utility operations with state clean energy and decarbonization goals.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) examines utility regulatory reform efforts across 10 U.S. states to identify effective processes for transforming the power sector. It argues that traditional quasi-judicial regulatory processes are inadequate for the scale and complexity of current energy transitions and proposes a four-stage framework—initiation, vision communication, conduction, and delivery of outcomes—to achieve more transformational results.

This research paper examines the 'utility information problem'—the lack of data regarding the locational value of distributed energy resources (DERs)—which obscures the boundaries of the electric distribution utility's natural monopoly. The author proposes that integrated distribution planning (IDP) is necessary to reveal this information, enabling a transition toward a Distribution System Optimizer (DSO) role. The paper evaluates two pathways to this transition: an information-intensive approach compatible with cost-of-service regulation and an outcome-focused approach utilizing performance-based regulation (PBR).

This guide provides a structured list of questions for state policymakers and stakeholders to evaluate utility regulatory models, specifically comparing cost of service regulation and performance regulation in the context of evolving power system goals.