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982 documents from RMI
Don’t Suppress Military-Led Innovation
Amory Lovins criticizes a Senate Armed Services Committee vote that restricts the U.S. Department of Defense from purchasing alternative fuels that cost more than traditional fossil fuels, arguing that such restrictions stifle military-led innovation and potential civilian economic savings.
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Document type: Statement
City of Boulder Climate Action Plan Analysis Report
The City of Boulder Climate Action Plan Analysis Report, prepared by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in May 2012, evaluates the cost-effectiveness and emissions impact of 19 demand-side management programs funded by the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax. The analysis finds that while Boulder has achieved significant energy savings, it will not meet its 2012 Kyoto Protocol-based emissions reduction targets through current programs alone. RMI recommends transitioning toward more comprehensive, integrated, and long-term energy efficiency strategies and suggests that municipalization of the energy supply could significantly enhance the city's ability to reach its goals.
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Document type: Report
NET ENERGY METERING, ZERO NET ENERGY AND THE DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCE FUTURE
This report, produced by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) for PG&E, examines the impact of distributed energy resources (DERs) and Zero Net Energy (ZNE) buildings on California's electricity system. It identifies misalignments between current utility business models and the shift toward decentralized generation, proposing a transition toward new pricing structures and regulatory frameworks to ensure grid stability and cost equity.
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Document type: Report
Natural Gas Boom Won’t Stall U.S. Renewables
This briefing by RMI analyzes the impact of low natural gas prices, driven by hydraulic fracturing, on the growth of renewable energy in the United States. While low wholesale gas prices create near-term financing challenges for utility-scale projects, the document argues that distributed solar PV and long-term cost declines in wind and solar will ensure continued renewable energy expansion.
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Document type: Briefing
Texas Grocer Slashes Energy Use
RMI collaborated with H-E-B to design a new grocery store in Austin, Texas, targeting a 50% reduction in energy use and up to 80% reduction in water consumption through integrative design moves such as airlocks, daylighting, and high-efficiency refrigeration.
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Document type: Case study
The UCSD Microgrid – Showing the Future of Electricity … Today
The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) employs a microgrid to manage 42 megawatts of diverse generating capacity, including solar, cogeneration, and landfill-gas fuel cells. This system enables cost minimization and emergency 'islanding' from the main grid, while serving as a laboratory for optimizing local resource integration with market signals.
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Document type: Case study
Top 10 Ways To Get RetroFit On Energy Efficiency In 2012
The RMI guide 'Top 10 Ways To Get RetroFit On Energy Efficiency In 2012' provides a list of ten practical strategies for improving energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings, emphasizing deep retrofits, behavioral changes, and the use of emerging financing models.
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Document type: Guide
GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge Charrette
The GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge is an initiative by the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB), and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to achieve deep energy savings in 30-35 federal buildings using Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs). A workshop held in October 2011 by RMI and GSA identified structural, contractual, and technical barriers to achieving net zero energy, proposing a shift toward integrative design, streamlined procurement, and shared risk to move beyond conventional shallow retrofits.
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Document type: Report
5 Key Solutions to Transform the Built Environment
This fact sheet from RMI outlines the energy inefficiency of the United States building stock and presents five key solutions to transform the built environment, as detailed in the publication 'Reinventing Fire'.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Thoughts on GM Volt’s Recent “Rapid Thermal Expansion” Incident…
John Waters discusses a battery fire involving a Chevy Volt at a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) facility, arguing that such incidents serve as catalysts for engineering advancement and global leadership in electric vehicle safety.
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Document type: Statement
The Sustainability Puzzle
A commentary by David Burns, a member of RMI’s National Solutions Council, discussing the gaps in current sustainability efforts and proposing specific mechanisms to accelerate the transition to a resource-efficient economy.
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Document type: Statement
Debate: Powering the Future vs. Propping up the Past
A statement by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) arguing against the continued subsidization of fossil fuels and the approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, advocating instead for a transition to competitive renewable energy technologies to ensure long-term energy security and economic competitiveness.
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Document type: Statement
Energy Retrofits leading the way for sustainability in Indianapolis
This case study describes the energy retrofit of the City-County Building (CCB) in Indianapolis and its role as the cornerstone of the broader SustainIndy sustainability program, which targets energy reductions across 61 city-owned buildings.
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Document type: Case study
TURB CHARGING EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS
The report "TURB CHARGING EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS" by RMI provides a framework for electric utilities to increase energy savings by pursuing both "broader" (increasing participant numbers) and "deeper" (increasing savings per participant) strategies. It identifies systemic barriers, such as the historical monopoly structure of utilities and rigid regulatory frameworks, and offers recommendations to improve marketing, sales execution, transaction costs, and collaboration.
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Document type: Report
Ten Surprising Facts About Our Energy Landscape
A fact sheet by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) outlining the current state of the United States energy landscape and the potential economic and efficiency gains achievable by 2050 through the 'Reinventing Fire' approach, which emphasizes efficiency and renewables over fossil fuels and nuclear power.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Going DEEPer: A new approach for encouraging retrofits
This briefing proposes the "Deep Energy Efficiency Pays" (DEEP) program, a new demand-side management (DSM) approach designed to encourage whole-building retrofits over single-measure upgrades. By offering additional incentives for projects that meet a specific energy savings threshold, the program aims to align the interests of utilities, building owners, and energy service providers to achieve significant energy reductions and market transformation.
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Document type: Briefing
No Shock to the System!
A statement by R. Andreas Kraemer arguing that Germany's transition away from nuclear power has been characterized by long-term policy continuity rather than sudden shocks, contradicting claims that recent policy decisions caused industry instability.
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Document type: Statement
A Giant Passes: RMI Trustee Ray C. Anderson
A statement by Amory B. Lovins of the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) commemorating the life and environmental achievements of Ray C. Anderson, founder of Interface, Inc.
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Document type: Statement
GREEN FOOTSTEP: CALCULATIONS AND DATA SOURCES
This research paper details the calculations and data sources used by Green Footstep, an online tool designed to assess and reduce carbon emissions from building construction projects. The methodology focuses on achieving carbon neutrality by ensuring that the net carbon stored on a project site by the end of its analysis period is equal to or greater than the carbon stored in its native state.
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Document type: Research paper
Reality Check: Honest Assessments of Our Energy Future
This statement by RMI authors argues that a low-carbon, sustainable global energy economy is achievable through willpower and policy coordination, countering claims that renewable energy is too environmentally destructive or resource-intensive.
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Document type: Statement