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Just Energy Transition: Continental Overview of Renewable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa
The report assesses the current state of electricity generation, transmission, and consumption across Africa, highlighting a 'double burden' of climate and transition risk. It finds that while renewable energy potential is high, investment is heavily skewed toward generation and concentrated in a few countries, with significant data gaps hindering effective policy. The analysis of Global Production Networks (GPNs) reveals a heavy dependence on imported technology, particularly from China, and identifies specific challenges and opportunities for localising solar and wind value chains. Employment data is noted as inconsistent, though solar PV dominates the current renewable energy job landscape.
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Document type: Report
Just Energy Transition: Kenya Renewable Energy Policy Scan
The report examines Kenya's renewable energy policy landscape, noting that while the country has achieved high renewable energy generation (over 90%), there are significant gaps in local manufacturing capacity and social inclusivity. It highlights a dependency on imported technology for solar and wind components and identifies a disconnect between high-level policy ambitions—such as the 'Buy Kenya, Build Kenya' strategy—and the actual capabilities of local medium enterprises. The document also notes that women remain underrepresented in technical roles and that the energy sector is characterised by high levels of casualised labour, which undermines the goal of decent work.
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Document type: Report
La Chine peut-elle contribuer à l’action climatique en Amérique latine ? | International Institute for Sustainable Development
The author proposes that China can transition from purely economic expansion to supporting climate action in Latin America by implementing a Joint Credit Mechanism for renewables, engaging in debt-for-climate swaps (specifically with Ecuador), and negotiating free trade agreements that prioritize environmental goods and services.
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Document type: Research paper
State-Owned Companies Transitioning Away From Coal Mining and Coal-Fired Power
The document analyzes how state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the G20 and beyond are shifting investments from coal to renewables due to cost competitiveness and climate policies. It highlights specific transitions in China (CEIC), India (Coal India Limited), and Sweden (Vattenfall), while noting that some SOEs, particularly in China, continue to invest in coal-fired power abroad. The text also discusses the role of SOEs in providing social protection during the energy transition and mentions similar shifts in the oil and gas sectors in Saudi Arabia, Norway, and Denmark.
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Document type: Case study
What You Need to Know About the Proposed Nuclear Power Plant in Uyombo, Kilifi
The document critiques the proposed nuclear power plant in Uyombo, Kilifi, Kenya, highlighting a lack of transparency in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and a failure to follow legal requirements for public participation. It warns of severe health and environmental risks, including radioactive waste management failures and marine ecosystem disruption. The text further notes that Kenya lacks membership in key international nuclear safety agreements and that the estimated USD 5 billion cost per plant could increase electricity tariffs for consumers. The author calls for the Parliamentary Committee on Environment and Natural Resources to halt the process and prioritise renewable energy alternatives like solar, wind, and geothermal.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Clean Economy Graphics Data Sources and Documentation Overview
The document outlines the technical framework for RMI's State Clean Energy Eco graphics, which project the scale of energy transformation required for the US to reach net zero emissions by 2050. It details the use of the Princeton Net Zero America (NZA) project as the primary data source, supplemented by the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), NREL Cambium scenarios, and population projections. The methodology covers specific metrics across electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and human impact, including a detailed approach for downscaling potential federal investments from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the state level. To account for uncertainty in 2050 projections, metrics are generally rounded to one significant figure.
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Document type: Guide
The Origins of the Nuclear Power Fiasco
The author describes the U.S. nuclear power industry as the "greatest collapse of any enterprise in industrial history," attributing this failure to a combination of institutional hubris, skewed economic data, and a federal policy focus on hardware over energy efficiency. The text details how the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Energy (DOE) promoted myths regarding the cost-competitiveness of nuclear power compared to coal and ignored the potential of energy productivity improvements. It further examines the failure of the breeder reactor and reprocessing programs, arguing that the federal government continues to subsidize an uncompetitive technology while ignoring cheaper, more efficient alternatives.
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Document type: Research paper
HOW NOT TO PARACHUTE MORE CATS
The report advocates for a 'solve for pattern' approach to global crises, using energy efficiency and renewable technologies as a model for broader resource management. It argues that the U.S. and other nations can achieve significant reductions in oil and electricity use through technical innovations like 'hypercars' and efficient lighting, which are often cheaper than expanding supply. The authors contend that these efficiencies can simultaneously improve economic health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, slow nuclear proliferation by removing the need for civilian nuclear power, and enhance global security by reducing dependence on foreign oil.
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Document type: Report
Climate Making Sense and Making Money
The report posits that climate change is an artifact of resource inefficiency and that mitigating it can be done at a profit. It highlights that energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon fuels, and improving forestry and farming practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while lowering costs for businesses and governments. The text argues against the necessity of nuclear power, citing its high cost and market failure, and instead promotes wind, solar, and combined-cycle gas turbines. It suggests that market-oriented policies, such as those established by the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Treaty, can incentivize carbon reductions through trading mechanisms. The document concludes that the transition to a low-carbon economy can be managed without net job losses, provided there is transitional support for displaced workers in the fossil fuel sector.
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Document type: Report
rmi_document_repository_public-reprts_nuclear-spread-the-cure-begins-at-home-92713fec256daf02.pdf
The author contends that selling nuclear power reactors facilitates the proliferation of atomic bombs because these reactors produce plutonium. The text advocates for a strategy of improving energy efficiency and deploying transitional fossil-fuel technologies to allow time for a shift to sun, wind, and organic conversion energy sources.
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Document type: Statement
Reinventing Fire Electricity Sector Methodology
The document describes the use of NREL's Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) and RMI's internal dispatch model to evaluate the technical feasibility and cost of four electricity scenarios: Maintain, Migrate, Renew, and Transform. It outlines spatial and temporal resolutions, generation cost assumptions based on learning curve theory, and specific modifications made to approximate distributed energy resources in the Transform case.
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Document type: Report
CASE STUDY: Transition to Clean Energy for Cooperative Utilities
The document details Tri-State's Responsible Energy Plan (REP), announced in January 2020, which aims to retire significant coal capacity and add over 1 GW of wind and solar power by 2024. It outlines the economic and policy drivers behind the shift, the use of a multi-stakeholder advisory group to build credibility, and the challenges associated with stranded assets, transmission development, and the lack of a regional transmission organization in the West. The plan targets a 100% clean energy portfolio for Colorado by 2040 and a 70% reduction in emissions from Colorado wholesale electric sales by 2030.
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Document type: Case study
New Frontiers in Utility Valuation of Renewable Resources
The report argues that utilities often undervalue renewable resources by failing to account for their contribution to overall system reliability and the benefits of geographic diversification. It proposes using financial portfolio theory to minimize variability through dispersed siting and suggests that the costs of integrating intermittent renewables are relatively low compared to the risks of fossil fuel price volatility. The authors conclude that failure to apply these valuation techniques leads to unnecessary investment in conventional generation capacity.
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Document type: Report
Amory and Judy Lovins’ Response to Jeffrey Ball’s article in The Wall Street Journal, “The Homely Costs of Energy Conservation”
The document is a response by Amory and Judy Lovins to a Wall Street Journal article regarding their home's energy efficiency. The authors argue that their original 1982–84 house achieved 90% electricity savings and 99% heating energy savings with a minimal cost premium of $6,000, which was recovered in ten months. They distinguish this from a later 2007–09 renovation that was more costly because it focused on 'bleeding-edge' technology and aesthetics rather than basic efficiency. The authors promote 'integrative design'—where high insulation levels eliminate the need for expensive heating systems—as a method to reduce energy use by over 80% at comparable or lower capital costs. They cite examples such as 'passive houses' in Europe and specific projects in Bangkok and California to demonstrate that these economics apply across different climates and scales.
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Document type: Statement
The Nuclear Illusion
The paper contends that nuclear power is experiencing a global collapse due to excessive capital costs and financial risks, making it unfinanceable in private markets. It asserts that 'negawatts' (energy efficiency) and 'micropower' (distributed renewables and cogeneration) are cheaper, faster to deploy, and more reliable alternatives. The authors argue that investing in nuclear power actually worsens climate change by diverting funds from more cost-effective carbon-reduction options. The document further claims that nuclear power fails to enhance energy security due to dependencies on foreign uranium and fuel-cycle technology, and increases proliferation risks.
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Document type: Research paper
Cuyahoga Valley Initiative: A Model of Regeneration
The report proposes a comprehensive regeneration strategy for the Cuyahoga River Valley, centering on a 'Regenerative Development Zone' to pilot sustainable business and ecological practices. Key recommendations include implementing industrial symbiosis to redefine waste as a resource, restoring watercourses through 'daylighting' buried streams, adopting green building standards, and diversifying the energy mix with renewables and cogeneration. The authors argue that a whole-system approach—integrating water, energy, and industrial processes—will create synergistic economic and environmental value, transforming the region into a global model for industrial brownfield restoration.
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Document type: Report
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles and Environmentally Beneficial Load Building: Implications on California’s Revenue Adjustment Mechanism
The paper argues that while PHEVs can reduce system-wide GHG emissions by shifting energy demand from transportation to the electric sector, California's current regulations penalize utilities for the resulting load growth and increased sector-specific emissions. It suggests three primary strategies to overcome these barriers: replacing decoupling (though not recommended by the authors), implementing independent metering to create a separate PHEV rate class, and allocating a portion of transportation-sector GHG reductions to the utility sector.
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Document type: Research paper
Best Practices for Electrifying Rural Health Care Facilities with Decentralised Renewables
The report argues that decentralised renewable energy (DRE) is the most effective solution for electrifying rural health facilities, particularly during health crises like COVID-19. It proposes a delivery model combining 'smart grants' for upfront capital expenditures (CAPEX) with market-based compensation mechanisms, such as long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), to ensure both rapid deployment and long-term financial and technical sustainability. Through 16 case studies across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, the document demonstrates how DRE can improve maternal and child health outcomes, enable the storage of vaccines, and foster socio-economic development by integrating health facilities as central nodes for wider community electrification.
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Document type: Report
Decentralised Renewable Energy Solutions for Inclusive and Sustainable Mining
The report argues that integrating DRE infrastructure to power both mines and local communities—termed 'inclusive mining'—can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower operational costs, and catalyse rural socio-economic development. It identifies key barriers such as complex energy regulations, limited local technical skills, and the high upfront capital costs of renewable systems. Through four case studies in Australia, Madagascar, and Mali, the document demonstrates various models for community electrification, including shared microgrids, indirect feeding into local grids, and the repurposing of end-of-life mines. The authors recommend establishing inclusive governance structures, investing in productive use of renewable energy (PURE) to stimulate demand, and embedding a gender lens to ensure equitable benefit sharing.
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Document type: Report
Alternative Energy in Mining
The document analyzes the role of renewable energy in the Southern African mining sector, highlighting how energy instability and the high cost of diesel generators drive mining firms toward hybrid and private renewable solutions. While South Africa faces challenges from a reliance on coal and potential 'bridging' fuels like shale gas and nuclear power, the declining cost of solar and wind technologies, supported by the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPPP), offers a viable path to reduce operating costs and increase energy security.
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Document type: Case study