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Advance Market Commitments Today Can Build a Low-Carbon Tomorrow
This guide from RMI explains Advance Market Commitments (AMCs) as financial mechanisms used to stimulate the development and deployment of new technologies by guaranteeing a future market. By providing a promise from governments or private entities to purchase a specific amount of a product once available, AMCs reduce risk for investors and developers, particularly in sectors like aviation, buildings, hydrogen, and carbon dioxide removal.
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Document type: Guide
The Economic, Consumer Cost, and Pollution Impacts of Recent Federal Energy Policy Changes
This report by Energy Innovation uses the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS) to analyze the economic, consumer, and public health impacts of federal energy policy changes enacted by the 119th Congress and the second Trump administration between January 2025 and July 2026. The analysis focuses on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and various EPA and DOE regulatory repeals, forecasting significant increases in household energy costs, job losses in manufacturing, a cumulative GDP decline, and rising healthcare spending due to increased air pollution through 2040.
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Document type: Report
Residential Clean Technologies Still Make Sense — Even Without Tax Credits
An RMI analysis evaluates the viability of residential clean technologies—electric vehicles (EVs), air-source heat pumps (ASHPs), and rooftop solar—in the US following the expiration of federal tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. The report finds that these technologies still provide significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions and household cost savings, though the most effective technology varies by region and household archetype.
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Document type: Report
Critical Mineral Deep Dive: Lithium
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.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Hourly matching of scope 2 emissions can further incentivise decarbonisation
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the transition from annual to hourly matching for accounting scope 2 emissions. It argues that hourly matching—requiring electricity consumption to be matched by renewable generation in the same hour—provides a more accurate reflection of decarbonisation and creates stronger market signals for renewable energy deployment than current annual standards. While 100% matching can be costly, the document suggests that partial matching (e.g., 80-90%) can maintain climate benefits while reducing costs. The briefing notes that the GHG Protocol is updating its Scope 2 Guidance, with a release expected in 2027, and highlights that hourly matching is already being implemented through 45 projects globally and specific regulatory frameworks like the EU's CBAM.
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Document type: Briefing
Estudio normativo y técnico para la instalación de cargadores eléctricos residenciales en edificios existentes
This report analyzes the legal and technical obstacles to installing electric vehicle chargers in existing residential buildings in Chile, specifically the conflict between individual property rights and the collective ownership of electrical infrastructure under Law N°21.442. It finds that high community approval quorums lead to an 80% rejection rate for projects. By comparing legislation in the US, Europe, and Brazil, the report recommends modifying Chilean law to establish a 'right to plug', allowing owners to install chargers via simple notification, provided they bear all costs and adhere to SEC technical standards.
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Document type: Report
Grid-Scale Virtual Power Plants are Here. Have Utilities Noticed?
This policy brief by RMI argues that virtual power plants (VPPs)—aggregations of distributed energy resources like batteries and smart thermostats—have reached a scale capable of replacing traditional power plants but are not being adequately integrated into utility long-term planning. The document highlights that while VPPs are increasingly mentioned in regulatory filings, they are often not modeled as selectable resources on an equal footing with conventional generation, leading to a risk of inefficient grid overbuilding.
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Document type: Policy brief
Not Just Voluntary Credits: Three CDR Demand Trends to Support and Scale
This policy brief by RMI identifies three emerging trends to scale carbon dioxide removal (CDR) demand beyond voluntary corporate credits: credit purchasing through government and private sector mechanisms, demand for differentiated low-carbon products, and 'flipping the script' by funding services where CDR is a co-product or by-product.
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Document type: Policy brief
Solving the Gridlock: America’s Electric Supply Chain Opportunity
This policy brief by RMI examines the critical shortages in the United States' electric grid supply chain, noting that demand for hardware has surged since 2019 due to load growth and grid modernization. The document details the risks of high import reliance and proposes a three-pronged federal strategy—easing near-term bottlenecks, expanding domestic production, and promoting innovation—to secure the supply chain, reduce costs, and foster economic growth.
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Document type: Policy brief
Global Electricity Insights
The global electricity sector has transitioned from fossil-fuelled growth to clean growth, with clean power meeting all global demand growth in 2025. This shift is driven largely by the plateauing of fossil generation in China and the rapid scale-up of solar and wind power. Battery storage is now emerging as a critical technology to displace fossil fuels during non-daylight hours, particularly in high-solar regions.
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Document type: Report
Major Countries and Regions
This report provides a detailed analysis of the power sectors of the world's seven largest electricity markets in 2025: China, the United States, the European Union, India, Russia, Japan, and Brazil. These regions collectively represent 72% of global electricity demand. The document examines trends in generation mix, demand growth, carbon intensity, and emissions, highlighting a global shift toward wind and solar, though the pace and drivers vary significantly by region.
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Document type: Report
Clearing the Air on Reclaimed Refrigerant
This executive summary by RMI evaluates the performance of reclaimed R-410A refrigerant compared to virgin refrigerant in HVAC systems. The report argues that scaling the recovery and reclamation of refrigerants from retired equipment is essential to bridge the supply-demand gap created by the U.S. HFC phasedown under the AIM Act, demonstrating that reclaimed refrigerants meeting AHRI 700 standards provide performance parity with virgin supply.
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Document type: Executive summary
For the US EV Market, a More Turbulent Road Lies Ahead
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.
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Document type: Report
Lower Bills, Better Grids: Heat Pump Benefits for Electric Resistance-Heated Homes
This report by RMI analyzes the benefits of replacing electric resistance heating and water heating systems with heat pumps in US homes. It quantifies the potential for significant household energy bill savings, reductions in peak electric demand on the grid, and decreases in carbon pollution, while providing policy and program design recommendations to accelerate adoption.
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Document type: Report
Introduction: The Current Status of our Climate
This research paper introduction from the Institute for Security Studies provides an overview of the current global climate crisis, highlighting record-breaking temperatures in 2024, the increasing frequency of weather-related disasters, and the rising scale of climate-induced displacement. It emphasizes the gap between current policies and the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement, while noting the persistent rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.
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Document type: Research paper
African Responses to Climate Change
This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies examines two primary policy responses to climate change in Africa: carbon sequestration through forest regeneration and the implementation of a global carbon tax. It highlights the critical role of the Congo Basin as a carbon sink and analyzes four illustrative global carbon tax scenarios, concluding that a differentiated payment approach aligns best with international equity principles and the Paris Agreement.
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Document type: Research paper
Reconductoring: The Path of Least Resistance to Fixing the U.S. Energy Grid
This report by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines reconductoring—the process of replacing existing electrical transmission cables with advanced conductors—as a rapid and cost-effective method to increase the capacity of the U.S. energy grid. The author argues that reconductoring can bypass lengthy permitting processes, reduce energy costs, and support the transition to clean energy by enabling the connection of stalled renewable projects and meeting rising electricity demands from electric vehicles and data centers.
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Document type: Report
The Interconnection Queue Continues to Be a Barrier to US Economic Competitiveness
The US generator interconnection process is a significant barrier to economic competitiveness, with over 2.2 TW of projects queued and average wait times increasing to nearly five years. While FERC Order 2023 introduced some improvements, the brief argues for further reforms: deploying AI and advanced software for studies, utilizing Grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) to lower costs, and implementing 'fast track' pathways for energy-only, surplus, and replacement generation. It also suggests integrating the planning of load, generation, and transmission to reduce redundant network upgrades.
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Document type: Policy brief
US Communities Reduce Risks of Wildfires by Improving Forest Health
A case study by the World Resources Institute detailing how the Cities4Forests initiative and its partners mobilized $115 million to restore 320,000 acres of forests and watersheds across 15 US states to mitigate wildfire risks and secure water supplies.
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Document type: Case study
Early signs of the impact of batteries
This report analyzes the emerging role of grid-scale batteries in the European Union as of 2025, highlighting their ability to compete with expensive gas-fired power during peak demand hours and reduce the curtailment of renewable energy. Using Italy as a primary example and California as a comparative case study, the document details how falling battery costs and widening price spreads are driving a record project pipeline aimed at lowering wholesale electricity prices and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
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Document type: Report