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RMI research indicates that clean energy portfolios are now cost-competitive with new natural gas power plants. Consequently, over $70 billion in planned gas-fired power plant construction and $30 billion in new interstate pipelines face significant stranded cost risks, as these assets may become uneconomic by 2035 and lead to increased gas delivery costs.

The briefing outlines the transformational shifts in the US energy landscape as of 2018, highlighting the move toward 100 percent clean energy goals by states and utilities. It identifies six critical areas requiring urgent attention: the revision of grid and resource planning to accommodate new technologies, the reform of utility business models, the integration of beneficial electrification for heating and cooling, the proper valuation of distributed energy resources (DERs), the assurance of equity for low- and moderate-income customers, and the financial management of uneconomic fossil fuel assets, particularly coal.

The document argues that the slow adoption of new mobility—driven by autonomy, shared ride platforms, and electric powertrains—is due to imperfect technology and incomplete service packages. It suggests that integrating design thinking and mass customization into the development of physical vehicles and service offerings can unlock market potential and reduce reliance on personal vehicle ownership.

The document argues that the design of the process used to implement utility regulatory reforms is as critical as the technical and economic details of the reforms themselves. It identifies four stages of successful reform: initiation, communication of vision, conduction, and delivery of outcomes. The paper emphasizes the central role of utility regulators in driving these efforts and the necessity of a guiding vision to prevent reforms from becoming mired in adversarial debates.

The report argues that traditional quasi-judicial regulatory processes are inadequate for the scale of current electricity system transformations and proposes a four-stage framework—initiation, vision communication, conduction, and delivery of outcomes—to achieve more successful reforms.

The briefing asserts that aviation emissions are exceeding forecasts and that the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) is inadequate for achieving climate stability targets.

The US corporate renewable energy market has expanded rapidly, with over 6 GW of announcements in 2018 alone, yet risk mitigation tools have not kept pace. The document identifies five key risks unfamiliar to corporate buyers—price, basis, shape, volume, and operational risk—and proposes a "many-sizes-for-all" approach. It outlines eight specific mitigation solutions, including five within the virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) construct (hub-settled VPPAs, floors and collars, proxy generation, volume firming agreements, and fixed volume swaps) and three outside it (long-term REC agreements, project tranches, and contract tranches).

The document outlines a systemic approach to urban freight management, combining a set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with a library of global best practices. It argues that urban logistics efficiency is driven by a combination of land-use planning, infrastructure investment, and regulatory flexibility. Key strategies discussed include the use of ring roads to divert through-freight, the implementation of urban consolidation centers, and the transition to zero-emissions vehicles. The report emphasizes the necessity of data-driven decision-making through GPS logs and stakeholder engagement via Freight Quality Partnerships to reduce the high costs of the 'final mile' and improve city livability.

The report finds that the incremental cost of building ZER homes is modest, averaging 1.8%, while ZE homes average a 7.3% premium. These costs often fall below consumer willingness-to-pay and mortgage-savings thresholds. The analysis identifies heat pumps, LED lighting, and ENERGY STAR appliances as cost-optimal measures and projects that ZE incremental costs will drop to 3.1%–5.5% by 2030 due to declining solar PV costs and efficiency gains. It emphasizes the need for skilled labor training and supportive policy frameworks to accelerate adoption across various US climate zones.

RMI proposes the creation of MOD Cities—modular and modifiable mobility-oriented developments—as collaborative test sites where municipal governments, developers, and the vehicle-service industry can co-innovate. These sites aim to integrate urban design with new mobility services to improve people's health and livelihoods while allowing policymakers to test flexible zoning and land use codes.

The Urban Mobility Lab in Pune, hosted by the Pune Municipal Corporation and Rocky Mountain Institute in October 2018, served as a collaborative platform for government, industry, and civil society to design integrated mobility solutions. This initiative follows the 'Lighthouse City' concept proposed by NITI Aayog and RMI to create test-beds for transformative mobility in India, aiming to shift the country toward a shared, clean, and people-centric mobility future.

The report identifies that the typical LCOE for well-run minigrids is at least $0.60 per kWh, which is too expensive for widespread use. It proposes six cost-reduction pathways—hardware standardization, demand stimulation, customer engagement, clustered project development, low-cost financing, and regulatory reform—to bring the LCOE down to $0.25 per kWh by 2020. The document also provides an investment roadmap to transition from grant funding to commercial debt.

The report introduces 'undergrid minigrids' as a solution for communities in sub-Saharan Africa that are within distribution company territories but remain underserved due to unreliable or nonexistent power. It outlines a five-step implementation pathway—awareness, business model development, pilot projects, market scaling, and benefit evaluation—to improve economics and reliability for customers, distribution companies, and developers, with a primary focus on Nigeria.

The document defines the virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) as a purely financial transaction where a corporate buyer guarantees a fixed price for renewable energy generation in exchange for renewable energy certificates (RECs) and a floating market price. Unlike physical PPAs, VPPAs do not involve the buyer taking ownership of physical electrons, allowing companies with distributed loads or those in regulated markets to meet sustainability goals without changing their retail utility relationship. The guide highlights that VPPAs are the fastest-growing transaction structure in the US corporate renewable energy market because they are scalable and accessible to buyers without energy trading expertise.

The report warns that room air conditioner (RAC) stock could grow from 1.2 billion to 4.5 billion units by 2050, potentially increasing global temperatures by 0.5°C by 2100. It argues that conventional efficiency improvements and the Kigali Amendment are insufficient to offset this growth. The authors propose a '5X solution'—technology with five times less climate impact than current standards—which could prevent 100 gigatons of CO2e emissions by 2050 and save US$1.4 trillion in power generation capital costs.

In August 2017, Cummins signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with EDP Renewables (EDPR) North America for 75 megawatts (MW) of wind capacity to expand the Meadow Lake Wind Farm in Northwest Indiana. The deal is designed to avoid 165,000 tCO2e per year starting January 1, 2019, representing a significant scale-up from Cummins' existing 8 MW of solar capacity. To secure internal buy-in, Cummins utilized Monte Carlo simulations on historical price data to assess financial risk and validated the deal's value through the Business Renewables Center and Schneider Electric. The project emphasizes 'additionality' by adding new capacity to the grid and focuses on local community benefits in Benton and White Counties, Indiana.

RMI and the Austin Transportation Department conducted a 45-day pilot at West 6th Street and Nueces Street, converting four parking spaces into a loading zone to facilitate ride-hailing services and reduce personal vehicle use. The pilot demonstrated that designated loading zones improve pedestrian safety by reducing the need for passengers to board or exit vehicles in travel lanes. However, the study identified challenges in user awareness, the need for better signage, and the potential for 'evening loading zones' to balance mobility needs with parking revenue.

The document examines the evolving landscape of corporate renewable energy procurement in China, highlighting a shift from government-led feed-in-tariffs (FiT) toward a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and a national Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) market. While on-site solar and direct investments are currently the most viable paths for corporations, the report notes that large-scale transaction mechanisms remain limited and dependent on provincial-level implementation. It identifies key drivers for corporate adoption, such as supply chain sustainability and market leadership, and details the barriers to interprovincial and intraprovincial direct power purchase agreements.

The document highlights that rural electrification often fails when supply is expanded without addressing the barriers to end-use demand, such as high equipment costs and lack of financing. It provides evidence from historical US programs and modern sub-Saharan African minigrids to show that stimulating productive use improves system capacity utilization and financial viability. The authors recommend that development partners implement financing mechanisms, support the private sector in equipment sales, and update national policies to include end-use targets.

Existing commercial buildings in the United States account for 36% of electricity consumption and over $190 billion in annual energy costs. Globally, the current energy retrofit rate of approximately 1% per year is insufficient to meet the 3.2% annual rate required to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius by 2040. The Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach is proposed to help managers synchronize energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with building life-cycle events.