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Technical Explainer: Ozone-Depleting Substances Carbon Credits
This technical explainer by RMI analyzes the voluntary carbon market (VCM) for ozone-depleting substances (ODS) recovery and destruction credits. It details how these projects provide high-additionality climate benefits by permanently destroying potent greenhouse gases like CFCs, while identifying significant logistical, legal, and technical barriers to scaling, particularly in developing nations.
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Document type: Guide
Climate Change FAQs
This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) provides a comprehensive overview of global warming and climate change, explaining their causes, impacts on health and environment, and the strategies used for mitigation and adaptation. It details the role of greenhouse gases, the specific contributions of the livestock sector, and the current state of climate action within the United States and through United Nations frameworks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Bringing Solar Within Reach: A Guide for Tax-Exempt Entities to Deliver Affordable Energy to Low-Income Households
This guide outlines the Renewables Investment for Social Equity (RISE) model, which enables tax-exempt entities to use the IRS 'direct pay' (elective pay) mechanism to deliver affordable solar energy to low- and moderate-income (LMI) households. The model allows tax-exempt organizations to own solar systems, install them at low or no upfront cost for residents, and recover costs via the Clean Electricity Investment Tax Credit (ITC).
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Document type: Guide
ASSESSING IMPACTS OF THE “ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT” ON U.S. ENERGY COSTS, JOBS, HEALTH, AND EMISSIONS
This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the projected economic, environmental, and health impacts of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" (OBBBA), a 2025 budget Reconciliation legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. The analysis compares a "Current Policies" scenario against an "EI House OBBBA" scenario, finding that the bill's repeal of clean energy tax credits and environmental standards would lead to higher energy costs, significant job losses in manufacturing, increased greenhouse gas emissions, and higher premature death rates.
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Document type: Report
The Big Picture
The report analyzes three mega-trends shaping the global electricity transition: the exponential growth of solar power and battery storage, structurally higher electricity demand driven by electrification and data centers, and the decoupling of electricity demand from fossil fuel growth in China and India.
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Document type: Report
Library of Selected Due Diligence Measures in the Agri-food and Mining Sectors
This workbook provides a systematic analysis of 12 mandatory public policy measures regarding due diligence in the agri-food and mining sectors, mapping their provisions against common themes to promote interoperability and support compliance for businesses and policy-makers.
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Document type: Guide
Reforming Energy Efficiency Programs to Increase Heat Pump Adoption
This report by RMI provides best practices for reforming energy efficiency incentive programs to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps. It argues that current programs are often too complex, deterring participation—particularly among low-to-moderate income (LMI) households—and recommends streamlining applications, aligning equipment specifications, and tailoring incentives to local climates to better support decarbonization goals.
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Document type: Report
Getting Alternative Transmission Technologies to Scale
This report by RMI examines the potential of advanced transmission technologies (ATTs)—comprising grid-enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors—to expand electricity grid capacity and reliability. While pilot projects in the United States have demonstrated success in increasing capacity and reducing costs, the report identifies significant barriers to scaling these solutions, including risk aversion, financial disincentives, and a failure to integrate ATTs into long-term grid planning. RMI suggests that large corporate energy users can accelerate adoption through policy advocacy and by facilitating coordination between utilities across different service territories.
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Document type: Report
US Electricity 2025
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.
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Document type: Report
The Rise of Batteries Plus Solar
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.
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Document type: Report
Implementing the 45V Rule: What it Means for Green Hydrogen Projects
This briefing analyzes the US Treasury's final 45V guidance for electrolytic hydrogen projects, which establishes a tax credit framework based on three pillars: incrementality, temporality, and deliverability. The guidance provides a transition period for annual matching until 2030, after which hourly matching is required, and introduces flexibility by allowing emissions calculations per hour and per electrolyzer to avoid 'all or nothing' credit losses.
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Document type: Briefing
Trump administration’s policies support rapid growth of geothermal power in the United States with 1.2 GW planned by end of term
This briefing by Global Energy Monitor examines the growth potential of geothermal power in the United States under the Trump administration, noting that while wind and solar face challenges, geothermal energy has bipartisan support and technological advancements that position it for rapid expansion.
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Document type: Briefing
High Voltage, High Reward Transmission
An analysis of seven large-scale transmission projects across the United States, ranging from California to Oklahoma, found that all projects delivered benefits exceeding their costs. Projects designed for economic benefits significantly surpassed the FERC 1.25 benefit-to-cost ratio standard and exceeded original planning expectations. Reliability-driven projects also provided unintended economic benefits, often approaching or exceeding the FERC threshold.
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Document type: Executive summary
Carbon offsets primer
This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the systemic failures of carbon offsetting, arguing that these mechanisms often increase global emissions rather than reduce them. The document details how both compliance and voluntary carbon markets suffer from low environmental integrity, lack of additionality, and fraudulent practices, particularly in forestry projects. It concludes that carbon offsets are not a valid climate solution and that priority must be given to direct emission mitigation over offsetting or unproven large-scale carbon removal technologies.
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Document type: Briefing
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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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: Report