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This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute describes the role of lithium in the energy transition, its global supply chain, extraction methods, and the environmental and social impacts associated with its production.

The US electric vehicle (EV) market is experiencing a slowdown in momentum due to federal policy shifts, including the expiration of purchase tax credits and the repeal of tailpipe emission limits. While EV sales fell 4% in 2025, charging infrastructure continues to expand through private investment. Automakers are pivoting away from all-electric targets toward a mix of hybrids and affordable models, while manufacturing investments in the Midwest and South have seen significant cancellations.

This policy brief by RMI argues that Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) can mitigate the grid constraints currently delaying the interconnection of data centers and other large loads in the United States. The document proposes three commercial models to accelerate VPP deployment and suggests policy reforms in interconnection, integrated planning, and customer protection to ensure the US remains competitive in the AI race.

This RMI briefing outlines the roles of key countries and regions—China, Brazil, India, Southeast Asia, and the United States—in the global energy transition as they approach COP30 in Belém, Brazil. It highlights the shift from high-level commitments to tangible actions, such as large-scale renewable deployment, the development of low-carbon shipping hubs, and subnational leadership in the US.

This briefing by RMI explains the critical role of regional transmission in the western grid, describing it as an interconnected system where states act as both importers and exporters of electricity to maintain reliability and affordability.

This report by Ember analyzes the technical and economic feasibility of achieving 24-hour solar electricity generation using solar panels paired with battery storage. It demonstrates that in sunny regions, near-continuous solar power is now cost-competitive, often cheaper than new coal or nuclear power, due to rapid declines in battery costs and the adoption of Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) technology.

In 2024, wind and solar combined to produce 17% of US electricity, surpassing coal (15%) for the first time. While electricity demand rose by 3%, solar generation grew by 27%, adding more generation than gas to meet this demand. Despite the growth in clean energy, overall power sector CO2 emissions rose slightly by 0.7% because gas generation increased to meet rising demand, though carbon intensity reached a record low.

This report by Ember analyzes the accelerating deployment of battery storage and solar power in the United States, highlighting how batteries are enabling higher solar penetration and displacing fossil fuels, particularly in California and Texas.

In 2024, wind and solar combined to produce 17% of US electricity, surpassing coal for the first time nationwide. This shift is driven by market dynamics, cost-effective renewables, and state-level policies, with 24 states now generating more electricity from wind and solar than from coal.

This technical appendix details the benefit-cost analysis (BCA) methodology used by RMI to evaluate seven transmission projects. It outlines the calculation of three core benefits—congestion relief, resource adequacy, and public policy savings—and describes the financial models used to determine costs based on ownership structure (investor-owned, public power, or independent merchant).

This research paper examines the intersection of climate change and globalization in the U.S.-Mexico border region, focusing on water scarcity and the potential for binational social learning to increase resilience.

This research paper examines the cross-border relationship between Sonora and Arizona, highlighting the region's history of commercial and social exchange while identifying current economic and political risks that threaten this dialogue. The authors propose solutions to maintain interaction and use structural indicators and social action in neighboring communities to critique cross-border public policies and encourage binational debate among various stakeholders.

This research paper examines the vulnerabilities and adaptive strategies of agricultural and livestock producers in southeastern Arizona, finding that while groundwater use is a critical adaptation strategy, the utility of seasonal climate forecasts is limited by low risk tolerance and economic uncertainty.

This research paper examines how water policies in the arid Americas interact with land and neoliberal policies to exacerbate vulnerabilities among disadvantaged groups across rural and urban settings. The authors analyze four specific case studies to demonstrate how disconnected management, water rights transfers, and competition for resources increase disparities and recommend more inclusive policymaking and systematic data collection to protect livelihoods.

This report by RMI outlines strategies for developing equitable electric vehicle (EV) charging and shared mobility solutions for lower-income residents of multifamily housing in the United States, based on engagements in Portland, Atlanta, and Phoenix.

RMI reports that expanding regional electricity transmission in the Western US is a 'win-win' economic opportunity. It finds that energy export states (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming) could increase their market access from $3 billion to $40 billion per year by 2050 with better transmission, while states with clean energy standards could reduce costs by over 30% through expansive regional planning.

The 2022 Climate, Environmental, and Energy Congressional Hearings Tracker is a fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) that lists hearings held by various U.S. House and Senate committees during 2022. The document serves as a comprehensive index of legislative inquiries into climate change, energy transition, environmental protection, and infrastructure implementation.

This report by Energy Innovation provides a guide for state policymakers to leverage the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 to accelerate the transition to clean electricity. It details the mechanics of clean energy tax credits, reinvestment financing for fossil infrastructure, and transmission provisions, while analyzing independent modeling of the IRA's potential to reduce U.S. electricity sector emissions and lower household energy costs by 2030.

This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.

This RMI report provides recommendations for modernizing the regulatory processes of state public utilities commissions (PUCs) in the United States to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and equitable electric grid. It identifies four primary areas for reform: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry through data transparency, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.