RMI Outlet
Plug Into New Ideas
A Historic Step Toward Sustainable Aviation
You may be surprised to learn that air travel is already efficient. In fact, a flight between New York and Los Angeles achieves the equivalent…
How to Use Peer Diffusion to Make Better Homes a “Must Have”
Co-authored by Larry Zarker, Executive Director, Building Performance Institute Peer Diffusion: A form of communication within and between networks of people that (1) occurs through…
Transforming Commuting from Burden to Benefit
We all have places where we go to get away to reduce stress—but what are we trying to get away from?Surveys show that our everyday commute is a top contributor. Americans aren’t likely to change commuting behavior unless better alternatives come along. Fortunately, better alternatives exist. We at Rocky Mountain Institute—partnering with Movability Austin and Capital Metro—recently launched our first integrated commuting solution project in Austin, Texas.
Electric Vehicles Are Coming. Regulators Must Respond
It’s a great time to be in the market for an electric vehicle (EV). Customers have never had as many EV options, at as many price points, with as much support infrastructure in place as they do today. During the last decade, the number of plug-in vehicle models available for sale has grown to more than 20, just as battery costs have decreased by 70 percent, and the number of EV charging stations across the U.S. has climbed to more than 16,000.
Lessons from a Landmark Aggregated Energy Deal
This week, a world-class university, the largest Level 1 trauma center in New England, and a parking facility in the center of Boston’s Financial District came together to announce a landmark aggregated renewable energy deal to purchase 60 megawatts of solar from a North Carolina solar farm owned by Dominion, a Virginia-based energy company. The deal highlights the importance of aggregation as a means to provide access to large-scale renewable energy projects for unique groups of buyers—not Fortune 500 corporations, but smaller businesses and nonprofits like universities and hospitals.