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DESIGNING A PERFORMANCE INCENTIVE MECHANISM FOR PEAK LOAD REDUCTION: A STRAW PROPOSAL
This white paper proposes a Performance Incentive Mechanism (PIM) to encourage utilities to prioritize peak load reduction over capital-intensive infrastructure expansion. The author recommends using an outcome-oriented metric—specifically percentage reduction in peak load—and a sloped, symmetrical compensation structure with upper and lower caps to align utility incentives with system efficiency and customer value.
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Document type: Report
CIEL statement on US AGs announcement of Climate Action Coalition and investigation into fossil fuel companies
A statement by CIEL President Carroll Muffett regarding the announcement of a Climate Action Coalition by US Attorneys General and their investigations into fossil fuel companies, specifically Exxon, for climate deception and fraud.
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Document type: Statement
Increasing Home Value Through Home Energy Upgrades
This briefing by RMI discusses how energy efficiency upgrades, specifically attic insulation, can increase home resale value and provide additional benefits in terms of operational cost savings, health, and comfort. It references data from Remodeling magazine and the National Association of Realtors to demonstrate that certain energy projects offer higher returns on investment than typical home remodeling projects.
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Document type: Briefing
Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report
The 2016 Annual U.S. & Global Geothermal Power Production Report details a global operating capacity of 13.3 GW across 24 countries, with a forecast to reach 18.4 GW by 2021. While the U.S. maintains a significant presence with 3.7 GW of nameplate capacity, the report highlights vast untapped global potential (only 6-7% utilized) and growth in regions like East Africa and Central/South America. It emphasizes the role of geothermal energy in meeting COP21 climate commitments and outlines the GEA's project tracking methodology.
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Document type: Report
GRID FLEXIBILITY: METHODS FOR MODERNIZING THE POWER GRID
This report by Energy Innovation examines the necessity of grid flexibility to integrate increasing shares of variable renewable energy. It details short-term operational improvements, long-term planning strategies, and various physical and market-based resources—such as demand response and energy storage—that can balance supply and demand dynamically.
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Document type: Report
Special Review of Atrazine: Proposed Decision for Consultation (REV2015-11)
A letter from the David Suzuki Foundation, Équiterre, the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), and Environmental Defence to the Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) criticizing the lack of rigour and limited scope of the special review of atrazine (REV2015-11).
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Document type: Statement
ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE STATE GUIDANCE FOR CLEAN POWER PLANNING
This guidance document, produced by the Environmental Justice Leadership Forum on Climate Change, provides a framework for state agencies to incorporate equity and environmental justice (EJ) into the planning and implementation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 2015 Clean Power Plan (CPP). It emphasizes the need for meaningful community engagement, the use of EJ analyses to prevent disparate impacts, and the prioritization of public health and a 'just transition' for workers and overburdened communities.
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Document type: Guide
Getting the most from your green: An approach to using public money effectively through green banks and other low-carbon financing
This briefing outlines the Climate Policy Initiative's (CPI) framework for evaluating the efficiency of public financial interventions, such as green banks, in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy. It focuses on identifying financial barriers and determining the most effective risk-bearing mechanisms and implementing institutions to address them.
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Document type: Briefing
3 Ways Wind and Solar Can Continue To Grow In a 21st-Century Grid
This briefing by RMI argues that concerns regarding the economic limitations of wind and solar growth—specifically the 'merit order effect' where variable renewables depress wholesale prices—are based on static models that ignore supply-side evolution, demand flexibility, and storage technologies.
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Document type: Briefing
Fuel Cells
This fact sheet provides an overview of fuel cell technology, detailing its operational mechanisms, various types, and its comparative advantages over internal combustion engines and batteries. It examines the technical and economic barriers to widespread adoption—specifically cost, hydrogen production, and infrastructure—while outlining current applications in portable, stationary, and transportation sectors. The document also analyzes the role of U.S. federal and state policies, including Department of Energy (DOE) initiatives and state-level incentives, in driving the commercialization and deployment of fuel cells.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Progress on the New York Declaration on Forests
This technical annex assesses progress on Goal 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on rewarding countries and jurisdictions for reducing forest emissions through public and private payments for verified emission reductions (VERs). The report tracks two indicators: international public payments through multilateral and bilateral funds, and the value of forest VER purchases in voluntary and compliance carbon markets.
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Document type: Report
US States’ ability to protect from toxic chemicals under attack on two fronts – at home and abroad
A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) arguing that the chemical industry is attempting to undermine the ability of US states to enact protective toxic chemical legislation through the reform of the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
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Document type: Statement
THE ECONOMICS OF BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) analyzes the economic value of battery energy storage in the U.S. electricity grid, arguing that 'behind-the-meter' (customer-sited) deployment offers the highest potential value because it can provide the widest array of services. The authors identify thirteen fundamental services across three stakeholder groups—ISO/RTOs, utilities, and customers—and demonstrate through four case studies that 'stacking' multiple services (using a battery for several different purposes over its lifetime) is essential for achieving positive net economic benefits under current cost structures.
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Document type: Report
WHO SHOULD OWN AND OPERATE DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES?
This research paper examines different ownership and operation models for distributed energy resources (DERs), evaluating utility-centric, third-party-centric, and customer-centric approaches. Through various case studies, the author argues that any of these models can optimize the electricity system if they prioritize fair compensation, transparency, and adaptability to new technologies.
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Document type: Research paper
The role of Green Bonds in the EU Capital Markets Union
This statement from the Climate Bonds Initiative responds to a European Union consultation on the Capital Markets Union, arguing that the EU must take active steps beyond supporting market guidelines to scale the green bond market. The document outlines how existing EU tools and priority areas—such as SME financing, securitisation, and the European Fund for Strategic Investments—can be leveraged to close significant low-carbon investment gaps in the EU and globally.
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Document type: Statement
GETTING TO $100 BILLION: CLIMATE FINANCE SCENARIOS AND PROJECTIONS TO 2020
This World Resources Institute working paper analyzes four scenarios to determine how developed countries can meet the 2009 Copenhagen commitment to mobilize $100 billion annually by 2020 for climate action in developing countries. The analysis projects that reaching the target will likely require a combination of public finance sources and leveraged private sector investment, while noting a persistent imbalance where mitigation finance far outweighs adaptation finance.
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Document type: Research paper
Towards a Low Carbon, Climate Resilient Ontario: IISD input to MOECC’s Climate Change Discussion Paper
This policy brief provides feedback from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change's (MOECC) 2015 Climate Change Discussion Paper. The IISD supports the vision of a low-carbon, climate-resilient economy and offers specific recommendations on carbon pricing, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the integration of adaptation into infrastructure, and the inclusion of traditional knowledge from First Nations and Métis communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
#flirtingwithdisaster on Valentine’s Day
A fact sheet by Friends of the Earth detailing how climate change and extreme weather patterns threaten the production of common Valentine's Day gifts, including chocolate, coffee, wine, flowers, and other agricultural products.
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Document type: Fact sheet
PREEMPTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST
This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes how the proposed Regulatory Cooperation chapter of the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) agreement could undermine the authority of US states to implement public health and environmental protections. The author argues that the agreement's goals of regulatory convergence and compatibility would effectively create a regulatory ceiling, preventing states from adopting standards more protective than federal minimums, particularly regarding toxic chemicals and pesticides.
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Document type: Report
FACT SHEET Technologies to support climate change mitigation and adaptation
This fact sheet provides an overview of the software tools, online platforms, and research activities developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) to support climate change mitigation and adaptation. The document details specific tools for energy planning (LEAP), water resources planning (WEAP), consumption-based environmental impact accounting (REAP), and knowledge sharing for adaptation (weADAPT), while outlining SEI's strategic focus on capacity-building and the integration of these tools to address sustainable development challenges.
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Document type: Fact sheet