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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 report examines how the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs), particularly rooftop solar PV, disrupts traditional utility business models in California. It argues that existing volumetric rate structures and net energy metering (NEM) create economic misalignments and cost shifts from solar adopters to non-adopters. To resolve this, the authors propose three building blocks: improving the measurement of DER costs and benefits, implementing pricing models that reflect the actual value of energy based on time and location, and adapting utility business models toward either an 'incentive regulation' or 'network utility' approach.

The report analyzes the 'water-energy nexus,' highlighting how the transition to low-carbon electricity can create new pressures on water resources. It compares the water withdrawals and consumption of conventional fossil-fuel plants, nuclear power, and various renewables. A case study of California's Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) demonstrates that while shifting to renewables can reduce emissions, certain choices—like solar thermal—can increase water consumption. The authors argue for integrated planning that prioritizes low-water technologies, efficiency improvements, and water recycling to ensure energy security without compromising water availability.

The paper examines the EU power sector's transition toward a low-carbon future, highlighting the critical role of the electricity sector in decarbonizing transport and buildings. It identifies significant risks in current investment trends, such as carbon lock-in from new gas and coal plants, and argues that the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) fails to provide a credible long-term signal for post-2020 investments. The authors recommend establishing post-2020 emissions caps and calibrating the ETS to ensure carbon scarcity after accounting for energy efficiency and renewable energy objectives.

The report assesses the inefficiencies of the current European power market, specifically regarding congestion management and wind integration. It compares existing approaches like market coupling and loop-flow incorporation with the US-style nodal pricing system. The author concludes that an integrated power market managed by Independent System Operators (ISOs) is superior because it provides full system visibility, reflects actual transmission constraints in pricing, and accommodates the short-term forecasting nature of intermittent renewables. The document identifies institutional barriers from TSOs and conventional generators but suggests that European-level leadership is necessary to implement these reforms to meet low-carbon targets.

The document introduces the 'Smart Garage' concept—the convergence of electrified vehicles, smart grids, and building energy systems—and provides a framework for a stakeholder charrette to overcome implementation barriers. RMI's financial modeling suggests that while basic convenience charging (V0G) is costly, integrated scenarios like Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) and Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) can be profitable, with V2B estimated at a net present value of $34B. The briefing identifies critical technical and business barriers, such as battery costs and lack of standardization, and outlines 'hot topics' for debate, including control of charging and the role of government subsidies.

The letter advocates for a national programme of energy efficiency and a reduction in overall energy demand to improve energy security. It calls for an increase in the 2020 renewable energy target, a tenfold increase in renewable R&D funding—potentially funded by military budget cuts—and the implementation of a Renewable Heat Incentive. The authors argue against new nuclear build, insisting the industry pay full costs for waste management and insurance without public subsidies, and suggest delaying construction decisions until safety and waste assessments are complete.

The report outlines the results of expert dialogues held between 2009 and 2010 focused on North American energy and climate collaboration. It highlights a period of significant political uncertainty, particularly regarding U.S. federal legislation, and argues that Canada and Mexico must engage actively in policy discussions to avoid becoming "policy takers." Key areas for cooperation include carbon pricing, renewable energy investment, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and transportation fuel standards. The document emphasizes that while a unified "North American Bubble" for emissions targets is unlikely, pragmatic, sector-specific coordination and the harmonization of technical standards offer viable paths forward in the absence of a continental regulatory framework.

The report examines energy security in Southern Africa, focusing on the need to expand electricity generation capacity and diversify away from coal. It identifies the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) as a key mechanism for regional cooperation to exploit vast hydropower potential in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. However, the report notes that urgent short-term power shortages often lead countries, especially South Africa, to rely on quicker, coal-fired solutions, creating a 'lock-in' effect. It argues that for SAPP to succeed, the region must overcome significant regulatory risks, high upfront capital costs for hydropower, and a lack of cost-reflective pricing in national utilities.

The report challenges the traditional utility assumption that 'baseload' power plants are necessary for grid stability, noting that all generators, including coal and nuclear, experience outages. It proposes a new electricity paradigm integrating energy efficiency, demand response, renewables, and storage. The authors assert that variable renewables like wind and solar can reliably meet demand if utilities use existing plants differently, incorporate new storage technologies, and increase control over demand. Examples from Denmark, Germany, and a NREL study on the eastern U.S. are cited to demonstrate the feasibility of high renewable penetration.

The document analyzes the energy profiles, infrastructure, and security perspectives of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, highlighting their deep interdependence. It examines existing trilateral and bilateral cooperation frameworks, such as NAFTA and the U.S.-Canada Clean Energy Dialogue, and identifies potential trade irritants like border adjustments and low-carbon fuel standards. The author proposes three climate policy scenarios for 2020, concluding that a 'bottom-up' approach with increasing linkages between Canadian and U.S. cap-and-trade systems is the most likely outcome.

The document outlines the job creation potential of the clean energy economy, citing that renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) industries created over nine million jobs in the U.S. in 2007. It provides specific employment projections for various technologies, including wind, solar, bioenergy, and geothermal, across U.S. states and international markets such as Germany, Brazil, and India. The text also compares these figures to employment trends in the fossil fuel and nuclear sectors and details U.S. legislative efforts, such as the Green Jobs Act of 2007 and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to support workforce training and clean energy deployment.

The report examines co-operative IPR practices—including cross-licensing and patent pools—as mechanisms to overcome patent thickets and accelerate technology diffusion. Using case studies from the mobile telecoms industry (ETSI) and South Africa's pre-paid metering (ESKOM), it argues that such arrangements can reduce litigation risks, lower costs, and enable developing countries to enter markets. The authors suggest that public policy intervention may be necessary to facilitate these arrangements in the low-carbon energy sector, particularly for technologies like wind power and smart grids, to avoid proprietary lock-ins and high costs in developing economies.

The document outlines a 'menu' of 'must have' and 'nice to have' actions for municipal governments, utilities, civic groups, and businesses to facilitate the transition to plug-in vehicles. It uses a hypothetical city modeled on Denver, Colorado, to estimate that achieving a goal of 10,000 plug-in vehicles (2% of registered vehicles) over five years would result in a net cost of approximately $10 million and create 250 net new jobs, while avoiding 2 million gallons of oil annually by 2014.

The Smart Garage report describes a system where electrified vehicles (xEVs) communicate with the grid and buildings to optimize energy use. The document identifies a near-term focus on 'V1G' (smart one-way charging) as a practical first step toward a long-term 'V2G' (bi-directional charging) vision. It analyzes the ecosystem's value chain—including OEMs, utilities, and 'connectors'—and identifies five primary barriers: uncertain consumer demand, high battery costs, infrastructure funding, fragmented utility regulation, and a lack of communication standards. To address these, the report proposes six collaborative projects to quantify demand, analyze battery second-life value, and establish national policy frameworks.

The paper argues that the variability of renewable energy can be managed through optimized geographic dispersion and the cross-firming of wind and solar resources. By analyzing data from the MRO, SPP, and ERCOT regions, the study demonstrates that expanding the geographic scope of a renewable portfolio significantly reduces system variability and the frequency of zero-power production. It also finds that combining solar and wind resources further lowers variability compared to wind-only portfolios. The authors conclude that these strategies, combined with demand response, energy storage (such as xEVs), and smart grid communications, can reduce the reliance on conventional baseload power.

The research demonstrates that creating optimized portfolios of geographically diverse wind and solar sites significantly reduces power output variability compared to individual sites. In the modeled U.S. Midwest region for 2004, combined wind and solar portfolios achieved an average variability reduction of 55% below the average of individual sites. The study finds that a small subset of available sites is often sufficient to achieve most of these variability reductions. To manage remaining variability, the authors propose integrating responsive loads, energy storage via electric vehicles, and intelligent grid communications.

EESI and the National Plug-In Partners Campaign critique the DOE's draft PHEV R&D Plan for being insufficiently aggressive in its deployment timelines and for omitting smart grid capabilities. They argue that existing industry progress from companies like General Motors and Tesla proves that PHEVs can be brought to market faster than the DOE's projections. The authors recommend that the DOE accelerate its battery development phases and require all demonstration vehicles to be "smart grid-capable" to enable future vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality.

The report argues that the current fragmented system of mandatory standards, voluntary labeling, and energy guides creates marketplace confusion. It recommends replacing the binary ENERGY STAR system and the FTC Energy Guide with a unified, multi-tiered 'bin' or 'star' rating system (one to four stars) to better differentiate 'best in class' products. Additionally, it suggests modifying the 'rebuttable presumption' for economic justification of standards to be based on a percentage of an appliance's service life rather than a flat three-year period, granting DOE authority for 'smart grid' requirements, and mandating that federal procurement focus on top-tier (three or four star) products to drive market scale and lower costs.

The India-UK Energy for Growth Partnership has focused on creating tools for energy scenario planning, reforming gas and power markets to reduce import dependence, and identifying climate finance mechanisms for Indian cities. Key initiatives include the 'India Energy Security Scenarios 2047' tool and the adoption of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to align energy planning with social and green growth objectives.