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This report introduces the concept of "undergrid minigrids" to improve electricity service for communities in sub-Saharan Africa that are within distribution company territories but remain underserved by unreliable or non-existent power.

This guide from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) introduces the Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA), explaining its mechanism as a financial instrument for corporate renewable energy procurement. It distinguishes VPPAs from physical PPAs, detailing how they allow companies to support new renewable energy capacity and meet sustainability goals without taking ownership of physical electricity or altering their existing utility relationships.

This case study examines a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) signed in August 2017 between Cummins, a global industrial manufacturer, and EDP Renewables (EDPR) North America. The deal focuses on expanding wind capacity in Indiana to help Cummins meet its corporate sustainability and greenhouse gas reduction goals.

This case study describes a 45-day 'curb access' pilot conducted in spring 2018 by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the Austin Transportation Department (ATD). The project repurposed four metered parking spaces into a contiguous loading zone at the corner of West 6th Street and Nueces Street in Austin to evaluate if such zones could improve safety and facilitate the use of ride-hailing services like Uber, Lyft, and RideAustin, thereby encouraging a shift away from personal vehicle ownership.

The report 'State of the Market 2018: Corporate Renewable Procurement in China' analyzes the transition of China's renewable energy market from a feed-in-tariff (FiT) system to a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). It examines the available mechanisms for corporations to procure green electricity, noting that while on-site solar and direct investments are currently viable, large-scale transaction mechanisms remain limited and dependent on evolving provincial and national policies.

This guide introduces the Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach for commercial building portfolios, noting that US commercial buildings use 36% of the nation's electricity. It highlights that global retrofit rates must rise from 1% to 3.2% annually to meet COP21's 2040 climate targets.

This executive summary outlines recommendations for investors and donor partners to scale the minigrid market in Nigeria, highlighting the country's emergence as a global hub for minigrid development through innovative models and a demonstrated business case.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Finance is a guide for regional governments on organizing and delivering financial solutions to enable low-carbon transitions. It outlines strategies for increasing capital availability, overcoming up-front costs, creating market incentives, and reducing procurement costs for clean energy assets.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Land Use is a guide by RMI that provides four specific actions for subnational governments to address climate goals through land management, open space conservation, methane capture, and regenerative agriculture.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Mobility is a guide by RMI that outlines strategic actions for regional governments to reduce the carbon intensity of transportation, which currently accounts for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings provides a framework for regional governments to reduce emissions in the building sector, which contributes nearly one-third of global emissions. It recommends three primary actions: establishing net-zero codes for new buildings, mandating energy efficiency upgrades for existing buildings, and requiring utilities to implement energy-savings programs through energy efficiency resource standards (EERS).

This guide provides a set of recommended actions for regional governments to manage waste in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and creates economic opportunities, focusing on organic waste diversion, open burn bans, and waste energy capture.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Industry provides a set of five strategic actions (Actions 15-19) designed to reduce the industrial sector's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions, which currently account for 28% of the total.

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Electricity provides a framework for transitioning regional electricity systems to renewable or zero-emission energy. It outlines five primary actions: implementing ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS), phasing out coal-fired generation through retirement and moratoriums, modernizing rate designs to include dynamic pricing, integrating distributed energy resources (DERs) into grid planning, and expanding community solar projects to increase accessibility.

This briefing by RMI discusses the dual role of the mining industry in the energy transition, highlighting its necessity in providing raw materials for low-carbon technologies while facing significant pressure to decarbonize its own operations to align with the Paris Agreement.

This report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlines how cities can reduce carbon emissions from existing buildings through the strategic deployment of energy efficiency and distributed renewable energy systems, highlighting a specific case study of a cost-optimized point-of-sale policy.

This briefing by RMI argues that mining companies in developing countries can improve financial and climate resilience by transitioning from inefficient diesel power to renewable energy. By co-creating business models with local communities, mining operations can address their own energy needs while expanding energy access and supporting sustainable development in remote regions.

This case study describes a partnership between the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), the City of Austin, and Uber to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) within transportation network companies (TNCs). The initiative focused on understanding driver barriers through focus groups and implementing awareness campaigns to transition high-mileage drivers to zero-emission vehicles.

This briefing describes how the US government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are integrating energy efficiency into their 'Duty to Serve' plans to reduce the financial burden of utility costs for low- to moderate-income (LMI) households.

This briefing by RMI analyzes a draft policy released by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on March 23, 2018, which proposes a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and a corresponding renewable energy certificate (REC) system to track compliance and reduce renewable energy curtailment.