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The document argues that renewable ammonia is becoming cost-competitive with fossil ammonia and proposes a framework for Brazil to achieve sustainable fertilizer production through strategic vision, policy alignment, investment mobilization, infrastructure expansion, and demand activation.

The Integrated Net Present Value (iNPV) framework addresses the failure of traditional cost-benefit analyses to account for the full value of process modernization in US light manufacturing. Developed by RMI and Schneider Electric, the framework provides a method for measuring and monetizing value streams across categories such as operational flexibility, risk mitigation, and market differentiation to improve investment decision-making for decarbonization.

The cement and concrete sector accounts for nearly 8 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions, primarily due to clinker production. Decarbonization requires a three-pronged innovation approach: 'Make Less' (reducing demand through design and efficiency), 'Make Better' (improving existing processes via supplementary cementitious materials and carbon storage), and 'Make New' (developing disruptive, zero-clinker chemistries and electrified production). While near-zero emission cement currently represents less than 1 percent of the market, the report highlights that scaling these technologies requires overcoming fragmented markets, outdated prescriptive standards, and a significant funding gap, as the sector has received less than 1 percent of climate tech venture capital over the last five years.

The policy brief argues that gas utilities in the U.S. spend between $3.5 billion and $7 billion annually to replace aging service lines. It proposes a service line NPA framework where utilities offer customers financial incentives to electrify and disconnect from the gas system instead of replacing the pipe. This approach aims to reduce ratepayer costs, lower emissions, and avoid stranded assets. The brief highlights Con Edison's Energy Exchange Program as a developed example and discusses design considerations such as participant incentives, utility support, and customer outreach.

The report analyzes 65 state-level tariffs to identify mechanisms that protect ratepayers from the costs of surging demand from large energy users. It highlights five key safeguards: minimum contract terms, minimum monthly billing demands, collateral requirements, exit fees, and capacity reassignment. The author argues that while these tariffs provide a foundation for fair cost allocation, they should be paired with broader strategies like grid flexibility and optimized planning to ensure reliability and affordability.

The report analyzes cost allocation strategies for distribution grid investments driven by the electrification of buildings and transportation and the growth of distributed energy resources. It compares three state-level approaches—Minnesota's standardized fees, Massachusetts's Proactive Hosting Capacity Fee, and New York's project-level justification—while outlining the trade-offs between uniform, incremental, traditional, and proactive cost allocation models.

The policy brief examines how virtual power plants (VPPs) can mitigate grid interconnection delays for large loads, specifically data centers, in the United States. It highlights that VPPs can scale to meet over 20% of US peak demand by 2030 and are significantly cheaper than new gas plants. The document proposes three commercial models—pass-through funding, capacity transfer, and reliability reinforcement—to align incentives between large loads, utilities, and VPP aggregators. It also recommends reforms in interconnection policy, integrated planning, and customer protection to enable this transition.

The report analyzes the green hydrogen value chain in China across production, storage and transport, and utilization, noting that while investment in startups has accelerated since 2020, risks remain regarding technology, operations, and capital markets.

The report identifies a ₹75,500 crore (US$9 billion) market opportunity in India's battery circularity, projecting significant potential for reuse (220 GWh by 2050) and repurposing (600 GWh by 2050). It argues that domestic recycling could meet over 40 percent of India's lithium, nickel, and cobalt needs by 2050, while creating 106,000 green jobs and avoiding 2.9 million tons of CO2 equivalent. Success depends on five enablers: policy reform, digital traceability, financing interventions, technology development, and workforce training.

RMI highlights the transition from climate commitments to action across several global regions. China is leading in renewable deployment and clean tech exports, while Brazil focuses on low-carbon shipping and ambitious NDCs as the COP30 host. India is pursuing energy independence by 2047 through clean mobility and cooling innovations. Southeast Asia is scaling clean infrastructure and battery storage, and the United States continues to see subnational progress in grid optimization and clean industrialization despite federal delegation concerns.

PJM is facing a capacity crisis driven by surging demand from data centers and a slow interconnection process that takes over eight years to bring new generation online. This delay has caused capacity market prices to skyrocket, with the total capacity bill rising from $2.2 billion in December 2022 to $16.1 billion in the latest auction. The author identifies long study timelines and high transmission network upgrade costs as primary barriers, noting that PJM has connected fewer new resources relative to peak demand than ERCOT or CAISO. To fix this, the document recommends implementing third-party automation software, reforming Energy Resource Interconnection Service (ERIS) to be a faster pathway, integrating advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), and prioritizing proactive regional transmission planning.

The document argues that state regulators must actively leverage new legislation to deploy advanced transmission technologies (ATTs), such as grid enhancing technologies (GETs) and advanced conductors, to reduce consumer bills and accelerate the interconnection of new generation. It outlines four common legislative approaches—planning, siting and permitting, cost recovery, and study requirements—and provides specific recommendations for integrating ATTs into integrated resource plans (IRPs) and Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) processes to overcome utility incentives that favor expensive capital expenditures over cost-efficient ATT solutions.

The document outlines a strategic transition to zero-emission trucks (ZETs) at India's 12 Major Ports, supporting the Harit Sagar guidelines' goal of 50% electric port equipment and vehicles by 2030. It proposes a phased implementation strategy: near-term actions focus on demand aggregation, targeted incentives, favorable electricity rates, and technical capacity building; medium- and long-term actions focus on institutionalizing ZET requirements in contracts and upgrading power infrastructure for scaled deployment.

India is positioned as one of the most cost-competitive suppliers of green hydrogen, with a delivered cost to Rotterdam of US$794/t, comparable to Brazil and Chile. To capture a share of the projected 3.4–6 million tons of annual imports by the EU and East Asia by 2030, India must address demand uncertainty, financing, and infrastructure gaps. The report recommends building trade partnerships with the EU, Japan, and South Korea, harmonizing certifications, developing port infrastructure through international investment, expanding demand aggregation models, establishing green shipping corridors to Singapore, Rotterdam, and Busan, and creating dedicated financing mechanisms to de-risk projects.

The document outlines five key strategies to make Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) projects more investable, focusing on risk-sharing through corporate commitments, the use of take-or-pay contracts to attract lenders, and the implementation of robust 'Book and Claim' systems for tracking Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs). It emphasizes the need for cashflow stability for both physical fuel and EACs, and argues that projects delivering higher carbon intensity reductions should be able to capture the value of their innovation through tradability.

The briefing proposes a dual-metric approach to track methane emissions in the oil and gas sector, noting that a single metric cannot fairly assess the diverse physical and chemical makeups of petroleum resources. It highlights the economic viability of capturing wasted gas and calls for policy-driven demand to incentivize low-methane production.

The report identifies metering and telemetry as a primary barrier to scaling virtual power plants (VPPs) in the United States, citing inconsistent regional requirements and hardware restrictions. It evaluates five metering approaches based on affordability, reliability, and fairness to provide actionable recommendations for grid operators and policymakers. Additionally, it references a companion report specifically addressing utility VPPs where the utility acts as the service purchaser.

Texas can leverage its existing oil and gas infrastructure, geological assets, and federal tax credits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to become a global leader in carbon management, potentially attracting up to $94 billion in investments and creating up to 211,000 jobs by 2050.

In 2025 Q3, US utility resource plans showed increasing projected electricity demand and emissions, with many utilities delaying fossil plant retirements to ensure resource adequacy. Load growth is primarily driven by large loads like data centers, while the phase-out of federal renewable tax credits and MISO regulatory changes have led to reduced wind and solar plans and increased reliance on gas capacity. Current IRP projections indicate a significant gap between planned emissions reductions and the net-zero targets required by 2035 for climate alignment.

The briefing highlights a rising utility debt crisis in the US, where household debt grew to $23 billion by June 2025. It argues that targeted affordability programs—such as arrearage management plans, percentage-of-income payment plans, discount rates, and energy efficiency upgrades—benefit both vulnerable customers and the broader ratepayer base by reducing bad debt, collection costs, and service instability.