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The briefing challenges the notion that variable renewables will limit their own growth by depressing wholesale electricity prices. It contends that these concerns rely on static models of the grid and ignore the synergistic effects of complementary supply resources, flexible demand-side responses, and the decreasing cost of storage. By shifting from incremental to whole-system thinking and updating 20th-century market designs, the author asserts that wind and solar can continue to expand without facing practical economic limits.

The RMI Innovation Center was constructed using an Integrative Project Delivery (IPD) contracting model to foster collaboration and cost-effectiveness. The building is designed for extreme energy efficiency in a cold climate, targeting an energy use intensity of 17.2 kBtu/ft2. RMI utilized a multi-party agreement to share risks and rewards among project participants and established an operational incentive pool based on avoided energy costs to ensure performance after occupancy.

The document examines the transition of isolated communities from a total dependence on imported oil to renewable microgrids. It identifies high electricity costs, environmental concerns, and abundant local resources as primary drivers for this shift. Through ten detailed case studies—including locations such as Kodiak, Alaska, and El Hierro, Spain—the report highlights the critical role of energy storage (batteries, flywheels, and pumped hydro) and energy efficiency in maintaining grid stability. Key findings indicate that renewable integration can significantly reduce retail electricity rates and improve system resiliency, though it often requires a phased technical approach to overcome stability and logistical challenges.

The report evaluates the energy impact of Hunter Douglas insulating honeycomb shades using whole-building simulations in nine U.S. cities. It finds that these shades can significantly reduce heating and cooling energy consumption, particularly in existing homes, while improving operative temperatures and reducing peak electrical demand. The study emphasizes that savings are highly dependent on the operation schedule and window orientation, with west-facing windows being critical for peak demand reduction in summer.

The document outlines the transition to Mobility as a Service (MaaS), where on-demand, multimodal transportation replaces the dominance of personally owned vehicles. It identifies interoperable transit data (ITD) as the critical infrastructure needed to enable seamless trip planning and payment. The report details barriers to this transition—including regulatory gaps, payment fragmentation, and inconsistent data standards—and proposes solutions such as public-private partnerships, the development of integrated payment portals, and the implementation of 'commuting as a service' pilot projects.

The report analyzes how battery energy storage can provide thirteen different services across three grid levels: transmission, distribution, and behind-the-meter. It argues that while single-use batteries are often underutilized and economically unviable, 'stacking' multiple services—such as combining demand charge reduction with wholesale grid services—can make storage a cash-positive investment. Through four U.S. case studies, the report demonstrates that behind-the-meter systems are technically capable of providing the widest array of services, though significant regulatory barriers currently hinder this potential.

The document outlines a framework for sustainable finance based on five transaction elements: financier, principal, expenditure, agreement (source of capital), and agreement (use of capital). It identifies three primary barriers to capital flow—risk/return, information, and scale—and suggests that these can be addressed through both policy and non-policy strategies. Applying this framework to case studies, the report finds that residential solar in the U.S. is primarily hindered by consumer-side barriers and lack of standardization, whereas electric vehicle (EV) adoption is stymied by limited financier demand for infrastructure-appropriate financial instruments.

The report posits that Iran's nuclear power program is economically unviable and creates security ambiguities that could be resolved by shifting toward energy efficiency and renewables. It suggests that international cooperation in these sectors would align with Iran's economic interests, reduce the domestic case for nuclear power, and potentially halt a regional nuclear arms race. The author highlights Iran's significant wind and solar potential and compares this transition to experiences in Argentina and Brazil.

In 2014, Lockheed Martin completed an ESPC at the U.S. Embassy in Nicaragua, achieving a 54 percent energy reduction across nine buildings. The project integrated a 956 kW solar PV system—the State Department's largest overseas—which is projected to offset 37% of the site's energy consumption. Key measures included LED replacements, chiller-plant optimization, and HVAC upgrades. To overcome challenges such as a lack of local utility incentives and frequent staff turnover, the project utilized third-party expertise from LBNL and the DOE, and implemented a memorandum of agreement (MOA) to ensure continuity of project knowledge.

Microsoft contracted for 285 MW of wind energy from two off-site projects, which were enabled by long-term off-take agreements. The company's data center energy group pursued these power purchase agreements (PPAs) to hedge against energy price fluctuations and reduce long-term costs, noting that powering a data center can cost twice as much as its construction. The process was supported by a corporate commitment to carbon neutrality established in 2012, which included an internal carbon fee and a "carbon neutral council." Microsoft accelerated its procurement timeline—completing the first deal in six months and the second in six weeks—by utilizing a dedicated centralized energy team, external partners, and explicit executive support.

The report analyzes eight case studies—seven federal and one municipal—that utilized Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) to achieve deep energy retrofits. These projects cumulatively exceeded 600 billion BTUs in energy savings with an average energy use reduction of 58%. The document identifies six overarching best practices: setting aggressive long-term goals, engaging diverse stakeholders, establishing strong support systems, adopting a 'clean sheet' design mindset, using iterative and holistic design processes, and incorporating ongoing feedback and occupant involvement.

The report argues that demand flexibility—the use of technology to shift electricity use across hours of the day—can significantly lower both customer bills and grid investment costs. In the U.S. residential sector, it could avoid $13 billion annually in grid and energy costs while reducing customer bills by 10–40%. The analysis highlights that 'flexiwatts' from appliances like air conditioning and water heaters can reduce peak demand and better integrate renewable energy. However, the report warns that demand flexibility may accelerate 'load defection' if utilities reduce compensation for exported rooftop solar PV.

The Energy Retrofit Guide for Caribbean Hospitals outlines a three-step process—Find, Finance, and Follow-through—to help healthcare facilities reduce energy consumption. It highlights the high cost of electricity in the Caribbean (averaging $0.38/kWh) as a primary driver for deep energy retrofits, which can reduce energy costs by over 50%. The guide introduces a free online tool for benchmarking and identifying energy efficiency measures (EEMs), and provides a framework for securing financing and managing the technical implementation of retrofit projects.

The report analyzes 'demand flexibility' (DF)—the use of technology to shift electricity loads like air conditioning and EV charging to lower-cost times. It finds that widespread residential DF could avoid $13 billion annually in U.S. grid costs and reduce customer bills by 10–40%. Through four case studies (ComEd, SRP, HECO, and Alabama Power), the report demonstrates how DF can mitigate peak demand, integrate rooftop solar PV, and provide a lower-cost alternative to traditional grid infrastructure investments.

The briefing examines the transition from flat residential electricity rates to demand charges, which bill customers based on their peak power usage rather than total energy consumption. It argues that as technologies like rooftop solar and electric vehicles create diverse consumption patterns, demand charges can better align customer costs with the actual strain they place on the grid. The author highlights that such rates incentivize load shifting and the adoption of DERs, citing examples from utilities like Salt River Project and Black Hills Power.

This briefing by RMI argues that decentralized solar energy is the most viable path to providing electricity access to the 1.3 billion people currently without it, specifically in sub-Saharan Africa and India, while avoiding a projected 141-percent increase in carbon emissions by 2040 that would result from coal-fired power plants.

The document introduces an exploration of how the location and utilization of battery energy storage systems affect the value they provide to the U.S. electricity grid, specifically focusing on the potential for 'stacked' services and the regulatory hurdles preventing their implementation.

The document proposes that leveraging Iran's potential for energy efficiency and renewables over the next 10-15 years could discredit its nuclear power program and prevent a regional nuclear arms race. It suggests this approach would meet Iran's need for secure and affordable energy while modernizing the interpretation of Article IV of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Kaiser Permanente partnered with NextEra Energy Resources to procure 110 MW of solar and 43 MW of wind power, aiming to meet 50% of its California electricity consumption through renewable sources. The organization views climate change as a health issue and set a 2012 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2008 levels by 2020. The deal is expected to avoid 215,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in California, equivalent to removing over 45,000 cars from the roads. The case study highlights the importance of assembling a cross-functional team, balancing economic feasibility with mission-driven goals, and managing internal stakeholder engagement to successfully execute complex off-site renewable energy transactions.

The analysis finds that grid-connected solar-plus-battery systems will become the lowest-cost option for many customers within 10-15 years, potentially causing massive revenue losses for utilities. In the Northeast U.S. alone, potential residential and commercial kWh sales erosion by 2030 could reach 58 million MWh and 83 million MWh respectively. The report argues that eliminating net metering or adding fixed charges only delays this outcome. To avoid a future of stranded assets and high costs for non-adopters, the authors advocate for an 'integrated grid' featuring locational and temporal pricing, performance-based regulation, and the monetization of distributed energy resource (DER) values.