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982 documents from RMI
California’s Ban on Gas Vehicles is Also Good News for the Grid and the Auto Sector
RMI supports California Governor Gavin Newsom's September 23, 2020, executive order to phase out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles by 2035, arguing that the move will accelerate the transition to a clean energy system and benefit both the automotive industry and the electric grid.
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Document type: Statement
RMI Tribute to Ted Halstead, Founder of the Climate Leadership Council
RMI issued a tribute to Ted Halstead, the founder, Chairman, and CEO of the Climate Leadership Council, following his death in a hiking accident in Spain. Halstead is credited with building the broadest climate coalition in U.S. history since the Council's launch in 2017. The organization advocates for a carbon tax and dividend framework, a policy endorsed by over 3,500 U.S. economists, including 27 Nobel Laureates and four former Federal Reserve Chairs.
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Document type: Statement
There Is No Business as Usual: Decarbonizing Industry Must Start Now
This report by RMI argues that decarbonizing energy-intensive industrial sectors is essential to achieving a 1.5°C climate target and avoiding severe global economic disruption. It asserts that 'business as usual' is an invalid business strategy, as the transition will require not only technological shifts but also a reduction in the demand for materials like steel, cement, and plastic.
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Document type: Report
The Wonders of Weatherization: Improving Equity through Stimulus Funding
This briefing argues that increasing stimulus funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) can address systemic racial and income inequities in the United States by improving energy affordability, creating domestic jobs, and enhancing public health for low-income households.
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Document type: Briefing
How to Stay Cool while Saving Energy
This guide by RMI provides strategies for maintaining cool indoor temperatures while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, particularly during heat waves. It outlines passive cooling methods, natural ventilation techniques, and efficient cooling technologies, supported by two case studies of net-zero and super-insulated homes in Colorado.
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Document type: Guide
Blackouts and California’s Clean Energy Transition
This policy brief examines the rolling blackouts in California during a historic heat wave in August 2020, arguing that the outages were caused by a combination of extreme weather and insufficient resource capacity rather than the state's clean energy goals. The author contends that a diverse portfolio of flexible, clean resources—including battery storage and green hydrogen—is essential for 21st-century grid resilience against climate-driven extreme weather.
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Document type: Policy brief
After Pipeline Rejection, New York Must Chart a New Energy Path
This policy brief by RMI argues that New York State should prioritize energy efficiency and electrification over new gas infrastructure following the rejection of the Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline. It contends that expanding gas capacity is incompatible with the state's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) and that demand-side investments are the most cost-effective way to ensure energy reliability and meet decarbonization targets.
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Document type: Policy brief
RMI Joins Major Oil and Gas Companies to Support Methane Monitoring
RMI and major oil and gas companies (BP, Equinor, Exxon, and Shell) condemn the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to end methane emissions monitoring, arguing that such monitoring is essential for the industry's viability and climate goals.
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Document type: Statement
Improving Reliability for Underserved Communities
This policy brief by RMI examines the 'undergrid minigrid' model piloted in Mokoloki, Nigeria, and discusses its potential application to improve electricity reliability for underserved rural communities in India. The model involves a privately owned solar minigrid sharing existing distribution infrastructure with a utility company to provide reliable last-mile service.
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Document type: Policy brief
Breaking the Code - RMI
This report examines the evolving role of private financial institutions in the low-carbon transition, analyzing the regulatory, policy, and market pressures driving the alignment of portfolios with the Paris Agreement and the structural barriers that limit the sector's influence on the real economy.
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Document type: Report
California Can’t Wait on All-Electric New Building Code
RMI urges the California Energy Commission (CEC) to mandate all-electric new construction in the 2022 building energy code cycle to avoid significant carbon emissions and financial waste.
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Document type: Statement
Decarbonizing NY Buildings through Improved Data and Controls
This briefing by RMI discusses the role of Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) in decarbonizing large buildings in New York City. It highlights the gap between basic building management systems and advanced analytics needed to reduce emissions, particularly within tenant spaces, and emphasizes the importance of granular data for complying with mandates like Local Law 97.
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Document type: Briefing
Boosting Community Resilience by Building Nigeria’s First Solar- and Battery-Powered Undergrid Minigrid
This case study describes the implementation of Nigeria's first solar- and battery-powered undergrid minigrid in the Mokoloki community of Ogun State. The project demonstrates a tripartite business model involving a utility, a private developer, and the community to provide reliable electricity in areas that are technically grid-connected but underserved.
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Document type: Case study
US City Stimulus Response
This report by RMI argues that US cities require immediate federal aid to manage the impacts of COVID-19 and subsequent strategic stimulus investments to transition toward a green economy.
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Document type: Report
Reimagining Grid Resilience
The document introduces a framework for addressing catastrophic threats to the US electricity grid, arguing that the current system's linear dependencies and one-way flow of services make it inherently fragile and prone to outages.
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Document type: Report
Supporting Discoms in Implementing Amendments to the Electricity Act
This report reflects on a June 11, 2020, workshop convened by RMI India, Rocky Mountain Institute, and NITI Aayog with 16 civil society organizations to support India's electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs). It introduces the Discom Transformation Platform, designed to coordinate efforts to overcome barriers to decarbonization and help DISCOMs navigate financial challenges and regulatory changes, including amendments to the Electricity Act.
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Document type: Report
Zero-Emissions Trucks Are the Future: Let’s Do This
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has mandated that 50% of the state's trucks be zero-emission by 2035 and 100% by 2045. The transition involves prioritizing BEVs for short-haul and HFCEVs for long-haul routes, while requiring massive infrastructure investments in DC fast charging and hydrogen stations. The State of California is supporting this transition through "make ready" infrastructure funding via investor-owned utilities.
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Document type: Statement
Nigeria's First Commercial Undergrid Minigrid
This case study describes the Mokoloki project in Ogun State, Nigeria, which launched in February 2020 as the country's first rural commercial undergrid minigrid. Developed through a partnership between Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Nayo Tropical Technology (Nayo Tech), and the Mokoloki community with advisory from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the project replaces a weak grid connection with a solar hybrid system to improve reliability and reduce utility losses.
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Document type: Case study
Regulatory Solutions for Building Decarbonization
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides a comprehensive regulatory framework for decarbonizing the US building sector, primarily through electrification. It outlines ten key strategies for public utilities commissions (PUCs) and government agencies to transition away from fossil fuel infrastructure, emphasizing equity, market transformation, and the management of stranded asset risks.
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Document type: Report
SOLAR UNDER STORM FOR POLICYMAKERS
This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), in partnership with the Clinton Climate Initiative and UN-OHRLLS, provides policymakers in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) with best practices to increase the resilience of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems against extreme wind events. Based on field evaluations of failures and successes following hurricanes in the Caribbean and Pacific, the document outlines technical specifications for ground-mount and rooftop systems and emphasizes the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration to ensure infrastructure survives Category 5 storms.
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Document type: Report