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RMI analysis indicates that clean energy portfolios—combining solar, storage, and energy efficiency—are lower cost and lower risk than JEA's proposed gas plant. While JEA's 2023 estimates suggested gas was the cheapest option, updated capital costs (which have risen by 139%) and fuel price projections suggest a gas plant could cost $4.8 billion in NPV. In contrast, CEPs are estimated to cost between $2.1 and $3.4 billion depending on energy efficiency levels. Additionally, the gas plant is projected to cause over $1 billion in negative health effects across Florida, whereas CEPs could generate up to $757 million in local economic benefits and thousands of jobs.

The document identifies a significant funding and deployment gap for carbon removal, estimating a need for at least 100 megatons per annum (Mtpa) and $20 billion per year by 2035. It proposes a government-led Advance Market Commitment (AMC) as a mechanism to guarantee future markets, reduce costs through economies of scale, and harmonize global standards. The paper provides a design framework for such an AMC, covering product eligibility, procurement processes, and cross-border funding, while outlining the complementary roles of corporations, philanthropy, NGOs, and academia.

The briefing explains that the western grid operates as an interconnected web where electricity flows across state and utility boundaries to balance supply and demand. It highlights that most major utilities in the West acted as both importers and exporters of electricity in 2024, providing a critical safety net during emergencies. Case studies from 2024 illustrate how the Pacific Northwest relied on imports from the Southwest and Rockies during a January cold snap, and how Montana imported 59% of its demand during a July heat wave and generator outage. The document concludes that increasing demand from AI and manufacturing necessitates further investment in regional transmission planning and projects like SunZia and Greenlink.

The document argues that while transition pathways are essential for contextualizing the ambition and feasibility of corporate plans, they are underutilized by financial institutions due to complexity and resource demands. It advocates for the use of multiple complementary pathways to achieve granular results and outlines a five-step approach to simplify their selection and interpretation. To further lower barriers to adoption, RMI is developing a transition pathway repository to streamline the identification of available benchmarks for specific sectors and regions.

The report argues that corporate procurement can be a transformative driver for decarbonizing heavy industry and transportation. It proposes strategies such as demand aggregation, environmental attribute certificates, and advanced purchasing commitments to overcome early-market barriers and reduce costs for low-emission technologies.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) introduces a mix of incentives and challenges for US advanced energy manufacturing. While it preserves the 45X production credit and introduces 'full expensing' for capital investments, it also imposes stricter foreign entity of concern (FEOC) restrictions and accelerates the phase-out of certain clean energy tax credits, leading to reduced demand projections for solar, wind, and electric vehicles. The report suggests that manufacturers should pivot toward grid equipment, geothermal, nuclear, and upstream components where demand still exceeds domestic capacity.

Small EV customers, including multi-family housing residents and small fleet operators, face significant barriers to grid connection, such as unpredictable costs, long timelines, and a lack of technical expertise. To address this, RMI and its partners developed a roadmap focusing on four key areas: enhancing customer educational resources, increasing utility process transparency, collaborating with local governments and industry to streamline permitting and workforce development, and maintaining post-energization customer relationships.

Based on workshops in Utah and Colorado, RMI identifies sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as the primary near-term solution for decarbonizing aviation, while hydrogen and electric propulsion require long-term infrastructure planning. The report highlights that airports are structurally limited in leading this transition because they do not control fuel demand or aircraft certification. Key recommendations include investing in pilot programs, developing long-term master plans for new propulsion technologies, and forming regional airport coalitions to share risks. A preliminary analysis suggests that regional routes under 1,000 nautical miles with aircraft under 90 seats are the most viable early candidates for hydrogen transition.

The report examines how battery energy storage can enhance grid reliability—specifically resource adequacy, stability, and resilience—while reducing costs. It contrasts the successful deployment of batteries in Texas (ERCOT) and California (CAISO), where well-defined ancillary services and value stacking have lowered costs, with the PJM region, where high uplift costs and interconnection hurdles persist. The author recommends that regulators and planners define competitive ancillary service products, properly value resource adequacy, and modernize interconnection processes to replace expensive legacy fossil fuel generators.

Kotzebue, Alaska, a remote community of 3,000 people, has transitioned from total reliance on diesel generators to a diversified energy mix including wind, solar, and battery storage. By implementing utility-scale wind generation—a first within the Arctic Circle—and a 1 MW solar array, the town has displaced 350,000–400,000 gallons of diesel annually. These efforts aim to insulate the community from volatile global fuel prices and seasonal supply constraints, with a target of 50 to 60 percent renewable generation by 2030.

The document outlines the phased compliance milestones for importers under the European Methane Regulation (MER), specifically regarding the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) of imported oil and gas. It highlights the difficulty importers face in gathering production segment data not routinely shared in supply chains and proposes a hybrid approach to manage these requirements while minimizing market disruption.

The policy brief examines the misalignment between legacy gas utility energy efficiency programs and current state climate goals in the United States. It highlights how traditional cost-effectiveness tests often prioritize short-term gas appliance rebates over high-impact weatherization and electrification. Using examples from states like New York and Massachusetts, the document proposes six strategic reforms to redirect ratepayer funding toward long-term decarbonization and building efficiency.

The report outlines the challenges of implementing nature-based solutions (NbS) in Indian cities, where rapid urban expansion has increased heat and flood risks. Based on a multi-stakeholder workshop, it identifies systemic barriers across design, finance, governance, operations, and policy. The central conclusion is that NbS efforts in India are currently fragmented and limited to isolated pilots due to the lack of a national or state-level policy framework. The document argues that establishing such a framework is a foundational imperative to provide the legal and operational scaffolding necessary to scale integrated blue-green-gray infrastructure.

The document examines the practice of gas line extension allowances, where the cost of connecting new buildings to the natural gas system is funded through the bills of existing customers. It argues that this model is failing as customers shift toward electric alternatives, creating a financial risk of stranded investments. Eight US states have already taken action to reduce or phase out these subsidies, which RMI estimates could save up to $750 million in annual utility costs across those states. Evidence from California and Colorado suggests that removing these subsidies encourages developers to choose all-electric options over gas.

Africa's nitrogen fertilizer consumption is 5.5x below the global average, leaving 50 million small family farmers at a disadvantage due to high costs and price volatility of imported 'gray' fertilizers. The report argues that Distributed Green Ammonia (DGA) production—which is modular, smaller, and compatible with intermittent renewable energy—can provide a cheaper, more resilient local supply. It highlights emerging technologies such as novel Haber-Bosch systems, plasma catalysis, chemical looping, and direct electrochemical conversion. A commercial modular plant by TalusAg in Naivasha, Kenya, is cited as a proof of concept producing fertilizer over 50% cheaper than imports. Scaling these solutions requires cheap clean electricity, demand aggregation through partners like One Acre Fund, and access to local currency debt to mitigate currency volatility.

The document outlines how financial institutions can improve corporate transition assessments by strengthening analytical depth and increasing actionability. It suggests moving beyond broad indicators and high-level scores to explore specific asset exposure and inform core financial functions like credit risk analysis and capital allocation. The report identifies nine key analytical components to improve assessments of ambition, feasibility, and accountability, noting that even partial adoption for high-priority clients can be valuable despite data and resource constraints.

India's transition to zero-emission trucking (ZET) is presented as a critical lever for reducing road transport emissions and enhancing energy security. The briefing argues that achieving 85 percent ZET sales by 2050 could abate 2.8 gigatons of CO2 and save US$1.4 trillion in diesel costs. To achieve this, the document proposes five building blocks: aggregating demand in early-moving sectors, mobilizing blended finance, deploying charging infrastructure on priority corridors, scaling local manufacturing of batteries and fuel cells, and aligning national and state policy incentives.

The briefing outlines how regional financing ecosystems—comprising regional banks, community lenders, economic development organizations, and governments—can unlock capital for clean energy by structuring local projects into investable portfolios. It highlights that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective, citing specific high-feasibility opportunities in Minnesota (green steel and transmission) and New Orleans (green buildings and hydrogen). By coordinating diverse financial actors and using public or philanthropic funds to absorb first-loss risk, these ecosystems can address persistent barriers such as lack of predevelopment capital and underwriting friction to ensure inclusive economic benefits from the energy transition.

The briefing challenges the notion that coal plants are necessary for grid reliability amidst a data center boom in the US. It asserts that coal plants are prone to unplanned outages, lack the ramp speed required for voltage-sensitive loads, and create grid congestion. The author suggests that over 95 percent of future demand can be met using scalable clean solutions such as battery storage and demand flexibility.

The global chemicals industry, a $4.7 trillion sector responsible for 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, requires urgent innovation to decouple from fossil fuels. RMI and Third Derivative identify three primary innovation pathways: 'Make Less' (circular economy and materials substitution), 'Make Better' (electrification and process efficiency), and 'Make New' (defossilized production using CO2 conversion and biomass). Despite the potential, the sector is undercapitalized, with only 3% of climate tech venture capital directed toward chemicals and plastics over the last five years. Key barriers to scaling include high capital costs, feedstock availability, and a 60% drop in global clean industry investment in 2024. The report emphasizes the role of strategic partnerships with incumbents, non-dilutive funding, and low-carbon certifications in accelerating the commercialization of these technologies.