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The document identifies China as the world's largest producer and consumer of ammonia, noting that coal-based production is highly carbon-intensive, with hydrogen generation accounting for over 85 percent of emissions. It highlights that while China's green ammonia industry is growing, it faces challenges regarding the intermittent nature of renewable power and higher costs compared to traditional methods. The report proposes integrating policy, downstream premiums, and carbon markets to reach cost parity and suggests actions for policy makers and enterprises to accelerate the transition.

The US Treasury's final 45V guidance establishes a market-based framework for green hydrogen projects to qualify for tax credits based on three pillars: incrementality, temporality, and deliverability. The rule allows annual matching of clean power until 2030, after which hourly matching is required. It provides flexibility by allowing emissions calculations per hour and per electrolyzer, preventing an 'all or nothing' loss of credits. Developers can currently use bilateral contracts and existing registries to demonstrate viability to financiers, while preparing for a more sophisticated hourly Energy Attribute Credit (EAC) market.

The report finds that large-scale transmission projects in the US are cost-effective, with analyzed projects delivering benefits that exceed their costs and often surpass original expectations and regulatory standards.

C-PACE programs have provided $9 billion in financing for energy efficiency in 25 US states and cities, but most were established before embodied carbon data was available. The briefing proposes that C-PACE administrators update guidelines to classify low-embodied-carbon materials as "energy improvements," utilizing tools like Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments. To incentivize this shift, the author suggests increasing financing limits for projects that demonstrate embodied carbon reduction. RMI is facilitating a working group through 2025 to develop nationwide best practices for integrating embodied carbon into C-PACE guidelines.

RMI analysis indicates that electric vehicles (EVs) are generally more economical for fleets than fossil fuel vehicles, though the extent of this advantage varies by vehicle type and depends heavily on federal commercial vehicle and charger tax credits. While electric paratransit vehicles maintain a TCO advantage even without tax credits, other applications like patrol cars and private security vehicles require tax credits to be more economical than fossil fuel alternatives. For construction contractor and large medium-duty delivery vehicles, TCO parity is only approached or achieved at higher fuel prices (e.g., $3.75/gallon) and with the application of tax credits.

RMI outlines five key factors—facility suitability, electricity costs/net metering, energy efficiency, battery sizing, and available funding—to help US communities deploy solar-plus-battery microgrids that serve as resilience hubs during disasters.

The report identifies four primary risks—product, customer, operational, and residual value—that hinder the financing of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) in India. It argues that deploying the first 10,000 ZETs is a critical step to demonstrate viability and build market confidence. To achieve this, the document advocates for a collaborative risk-management framework involving original equipment manufacturers, fleet operators, charge point operators, financiers, and development finance institutions to lower default probabilities and distribute potential losses.

The document examines the financial mechanisms of utility regulation, specifically the gap between the allowed return on equity (ROE) and the cost of equity (COE). It argues that current ROEs are excessively high, creating a 'capex bias' that incentivizes expensive capital projects over cost-effective solutions like energy efficiency. By analyzing price-to-book ratios and applying discounted cash flow models, the authors estimate that the required return for investors is significantly lower than currently approved rates. The guide provides a framework for stakeholders to challenge inflated COE estimates by correcting flawed model assumptions regarding interest rates, growth rates, and historical means. It further dismisses common industry claims that lower ROEs would limit access to capital or increase customer costs via credit rating downgrades.

The document argues that advance market commitments (AMCs) can catalyze the market for low-carbon concrete by aggregating public demand and unlocking private capital for clean manufacturing. It highlights that the cement industry contributes nearly 7% of global CO2 emissions and that in the US, infrastructure accounts for 46% of domestic concrete demand, making public procurement a critical lever for decarbonization.

An analysis of Southern California's heating equipment shows that heat pumps can be cheaper than gas alternatives due to incentives, potentially saving low-income households over $10,000 with federal rebates. However, fragmented application processes and insufficient funding levels hinder widespread adoption.

RMI introduces the "Power Couples" model, which pairs large electricity consumers, such as AI data centers, with new-build wind, solar, and battery resources located near existing generators with approved grid interconnections. This approach aims to bypass long grid access wait times—which can reach five years for generation and eight years for transmission—while ensuring that the costs of new demand are borne by the users rather than general ratepayers. RMI's analysis indicates that this strategy could satisfy over 50 GW of new load at an average of 88% carbon-free energy, with significant opportunities concentrated in the PJM, ERCOT, and Southeast regions.

RMI proposes a strategic framework to mitigate rising utility costs driven by infrastructure spending, fossil fuel reliance, and outdated regulatory incentives. The framework offers seven core strategies—ranging from improved planning and coordinated gas-electric regulation to leveraging competition and lowering financing costs—to ensure grid reliability and customer affordability.

The document outlines how Texas municipalities and counties can catalyze the adoption of distributed energy resources (DERs) and virtual power plants (VPPs) to address rising electricity demand and grid instability. It details the types of DERs—generation, storage, and demand-side—and explains how VPPs (referred to in Texas as aggregate distributed energy resources or ADERs) coordinate these assets for grid-level benefits. The briefing identifies drivers for adoption, including the Inflation Reduction Act and extreme weather events like Winter Storm Uri and Hurricane Beryl, and provides a framework for local governments to increase adoption through public education, zoning updates, streamlined permitting, and the enrollment of government-owned assets into VPPs.

The document identifies access to finance as a primary barrier to zero-emission truck (ZET) adoption in India due to investor hesitancy and higher interest rates compared to diesel trucks. It proposes three financial mechanisms—risk-sharing facilities, tailored insurance, and Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS)—drawing on examples from California, China, and Europe to accelerate India's ZET market growth.

The document describes Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as the individual climate plans countries use to contribute to the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. It highlights the technical and political challenges of formulating NDCs, particularly for developing nations, and explains how these documents signal financial needs to investors and global climate funds. The briefing notes that G20 nations are critical due to their high emissions, while Small Island Developing States (SIDS) use NDCs to lead by example and request 'means of implementation' such as technology transfer and financing.

Federal clean energy incentives have already spurred $75 billion in private investment and created over 100,000 manufacturing jobs since 2022. Under a 'High Potential Scenario', these incentives could bring nearly $235 billion in federal investment to US states by 2030, with the largest gains expected in battery manufacturing and hydrogen production.

The document outlines strategies to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission trucks (ZETs) through demand, supply, and infrastructure interventions. It highlights a 170 percent surge in global ZET sales since 2020 and provides a tailored roadmap for India to establish a ZET ecosystem across short-, medium-, and long-term horizons.

Thermal batteries store renewable electricity as high-temperature heat in abundant materials like graphite or bricks, providing a cost-effective alternative to fossil fuels for industrial processes requiring temperatures over 1,000°C. The technology supports grid stability by reducing renewable curtailment and offers a lower-risk alternative to hydrogen for industrial decarbonization. While facing challenges in wholesale electricity market access and infrastructure integration, the sector saw investment spike to over $350 million in 2024.

The document identifies five critical areas for improving the success rate of first-of-a-kind (FOAK) industrial heat decarbonization projects: customer relationship management, site evaluation, project scoping, expertise/oversight, and contract drafting. It argues that these projects are prone to a 'snowball effect' of pitfalls—such as inaccurate site evaluations and unclear scopes—that can lead to project cancellation. By implementing strategic partnerships, detailed early-stage engineering, and flexible contracting, the document suggests that FOAK projects can move from 'project to product,' potentially unlocking a 2%–5% overall emissions reduction in the United States.

The report addresses the surge in US electricity demand, noting that utility integrated resource plans covering 48% of sales expect load to grow 20% from 2023 to 2035. It argues that traditional forecasting is inadequate for new large loads—specifically data centers and industrial reshoring—which possess unique load shapes, high uncertainty, and 'flight risk'. The authors recommend that regulators shift toward scenario-based forecasting, increase the frequency of updates (e.g., quarterly), and implement 'least-regrets' capital investments and risk-shifting tariffs to protect ratepayers from the costs of forecast errors.