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Heat Pumps Reduce Smog in Southern California. Available Incentives Mean They Can Also Cost Less Than Gas Equipment.
RMI's briefing analyzes the cost-effectiveness of transitioning from gas-burning heating and water heating equipment to electric heat pumps in Southern California. The analysis finds that current and upcoming state, local, and utility incentives can make heat pumps cheaper than conventional gas equipment, even without federal funding, though fragmented application processes and limited funding levels hinder widespread adoption.
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Document type: Briefing
Finding US Clean Power Development Sees Record Progress, As Well As Stronger Headwinds
This report by the World Resources Institute analyzes the state of clean energy in the United States through 2024, highlighting record growth in solar and battery storage alongside significant headwinds including grid capacity limits, rising local opposition, and policy uncertainty under the Trump administration.
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Document type: Report
Unlocking Capital for Zero-Emission Trucks
This briefing by RMI discusses the financial barriers to the adoption of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in India and proposes the adaptation of global financial models—specifically risk-sharing facilities, tailored insurance, and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)—to accelerate market growth.
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Document type: Briefing
Building Bigger and Cleaner Industries in US States
This report by RMI analyzes the impact and potential of US federal clean energy tax credits on the industrial sector. It finds that these incentives have already spurred significant private investment and job growth, with the potential to bring nearly $235 billion in federal investment to US states by 2030 under a high-growth scenario.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy 101: Thermal Batteries
This guide by RMI explains the function, types, and potential of thermal batteries as a decarbonization tool for industrial heating and grid stability. It details how these systems convert renewable electricity into stored heat using abundant materials, offering a cheaper and less complex alternative to hydrogen for high-temperature industrial processes.
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Document type: Guide
High Voltage, High Rewards Transmission
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).
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Document type: Report
From Waste to Wins: How Orange County’s Smart Landfills Are Slashing Methane
This case study describes how Orange County Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is reducing methane emissions through a dual strategy of organic waste diversion via composting and the implementation of a 'Smart Landfill Program' (SLP) utilizing automation, drones, and robotic sensors.
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Document type: Case study
Ecosystem Services Across Borders: A Framework for Transboundary Conservation Policy
This research paper proposes using the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) framework as an organizing principle for transboundary conservation policy to address the fact that political borders rarely align with ecological boundaries.
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Document type: Research paper
Chemistry in Transition: Charting solutions for a low-emissions chemical industry
This report by RMI analyzes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of the US chemical industry, focusing on six primary chemicals: hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, ethylene, propylene, and benzene. It identifies 20 emissions reduction levers across four categories—alternative production methods, alternative heat sources, cleaner operations, and alternative feedstocks—and evaluates their current deployability and maximum potential to reach a net-zero sector by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Solar met 61% of US electricity demand growth in 2025
This report by Ember analyses Energy Information Administration (EIA) data to demonstrate how solar power and battery storage met a significant portion of the United States' rising electricity demand in 2025.
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Document type: Report
Easing the Permitting Process for Clean Industrial Projects in California
This briefing by RMI outlines the challenges and potential solutions for the industrial permitting process in California, specifically for clean industrial projects like hydrogen production and carbon dioxide removal. It argues that while the current decentralized system provides necessary environmental and community safeguards, it also creates 'nonproductive friction' that delays or cancels critical decarbonization projects. The document provides strategic recommendations for both permit-seekers and state policymakers to streamline approvals without compromising safety or environmental justice.
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Document type: Briefing
Offshore, Off-Limits
This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the environmental, climate, health, and financial risks associated with the decommissioning of offshore oil and gas infrastructure. It highlights how improper closure and the proliferation of abandoned wells lead to methane leaks and toxic contamination, while corporate strategies and regulatory loopholes often shift the massive financial burden of cleanup from operators to the public.
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Document type: Briefing
Friends of the Earth U.S. Analysis on the Biden Administration’s Deforestation Policy Framework
Friends of the Earth U.S. analyzes the Biden-Harris administration's 6-point policy framework aimed at reducing U.S. imports of products linked to deforestation. While commending the framework's direction, the organization advocates for a holistic approach to illegal deforestation, the establishment of a public due diligence system independent of third-party certifications, and the passage of the federal FOREST Act.
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Document type: Statement
Electric Rates Can Help or Hinder Heat Pump Progress
This policy brief by RMI argues that current electricity rate designs in the United States often overcharge heat pump users, creating a financial barrier to home electrification. The document explains that because many utility costs are driven by summer peak demand, customers who add electricity demand in the winter (via heat pumps) may pay more than the actual cost of service. RMI proposes several rate reform strategies—including seasonal heating rates, time-varying rates, and separate customer classes—to align electricity pricing with actual system costs and support decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Policy brief
ENERGY PARKS
This report defines "energy parks" as large-scale microgrids that co-locate renewable energy generation, storage, and electricity consumers (loads) behind a single point of interconnection (POI) to the bulk power grid. The authors argue that this model reduces equipment costs, accelerates the "time to power" for industrial loads, and provides flexible grid services. The document outlines the evolution of these parks from simple solar farms with high inverter-loading ratios to complex hybrids involving thermal batteries and hydrogen electrolysis. It identifies significant regulatory hurdles, including interconnection queue delays, wholesale market participation rules, and state-level utility monopolies, and proposes a shift toward treating energy parks as "digital resources" with a universal participation model.
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Document type: Report
The Justice and Governance of Solar Geoengineering: Charting the Path at COP29 and Beyond
This research paper examines the governance challenges of solar radiation modification (SRM), arguing that the current fragmented landscape risks unilateral deployment and the marginalization of the Global South. The authors advocate for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to formally integrate SRM into its agenda, specifically suggesting COP29 in Baku as a starting point to ensure that ethical, social, and justice-based considerations guide the technology's development.
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Document type: Research paper
Clean flexibility is the brain managing the clean power system
The report outlines a portfolio of nine 'clean flexibility' tools categorized into storing, shifting, sharing, and supplying electricity to ensure grid stability in a renewable-heavy power system. It emphasizes that while storage and grids are critical, a comprehensive approach including demand-side management and flexible generation is necessary to achieve a fully clean electricity supply every hour.
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Document type: Report
US States and Carbon Dioxide Removal: Leadership Opportunities and Key Principles for Policymakers
This guide outlines how US states can leverage carbon dioxide removal (CDR) for economic development and climate goals. It recommends that states adopt approach-neutral, performance-based definitions of CDR, set intermediate removal targets based on carbon budgets, and create streamlined regulatory environments. The document emphasizes the necessity of inclusive community engagement, transparency, and the prioritization of co-benefits for disadvantaged communities to ensure safe and equitable deployment.
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Document type: Guide
Reimagining Utility Climate Risk Planning
This briefing by RMI outlines a four-step framework for utilities and regulators to integrate physical and transition climate risks into long-term planning to ensure grid reliability and affordability. It argues that current utility planning often silos climate risk or ignores transition risks, leading to higher costs for ratepayers, particularly in disadvantaged communities.
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Document type: Briefing
Fossil fuels impact on weather events in the United States
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the link between fossil fuel emissions and extreme weather events in the United States, detailing the role of the oil and gas industry in climate damages and the current state of the US energy transition.
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This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing