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Electricity

Regulatory Resources Dashboard

This page provides relevant research and tools for state public utilities commissions as they navigate the most pressing affordability, reliability, and safety challenges that our power system has seen in a generation.

Issues covered here include utility planning, regulatory process and strategy design, utility business models, equity, and procurement.

Quick Reads by Topic

Regulating in Times of Rapid Change

Utility Business Model Innovation

REPORT Electricity

PIMs for Progress
July 30, 2020
This report reviews a selection of historical PIM examples and provides a simple accounting of the results to identify important lessons for future PIM development. By exploring why some PIM proposals are rejected while others are accepted, as well as what happens to PIMs after acceptance, regulators can learn how these regulatory tools can best be leveraged in a shifting electricity landscape.
REPORT Electricity

Navigating Utility Business Model Reform
October 30, 2018
This report reviews foundational elements of different reform options, poses key questions to explore their applicability, identifies illustrative experiences for ideas and concepts, and explores policy implementation options to help spur action.
REPORT Electricity

Reimagining the Utility
January 24, 2018
This paper is focused on changes needed at the grid distribution level to adapt the grid, and on associated options for how to evolve the utility market serving that part of the system.
REPORT

Bringing Clean Energy Home
October 6, 2021
This report and associated summary for regulators outlines the fundamental shifts that must take place to reduce residential carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 from 2005 through deployment of carbon-free electricity, demand-side management, building retrofits, and vehicle electrification.
ARTICLE Electricity

Five Lessons from Hawaii’s Groundbreaking PBR Framework
February 8, 2021
This article offers five important takeaways that can improve other states’ efforts navigating new utility business models. It is based on Hawaii’s experience navigating how PBR can support climate and clean energy policy goals while still keeping rates manageable for families and businesses.

Resource Planning and Procurement

REPORT

Power Shift
September 20, 2024
Virtual power plants can meet emerging grid needs, reduce emissions, and reduce costs when they’re fully included in grid planning and operations.
REPORT Electricity

Reimagining Resource Planning
January 24, 2023
This resource provides specific examples of regulation that enables trusted, comprehensive, and aligned resource planning in the face of significant grid changes. It also offers a framework for revisiting the fundamentals of planning.

Building Electrification

REPORT Electricity

Regulatory Solutions for Building Decarbonization
July 9, 2020
his report outlines 10 key strategies to support building decarbonization. It is accompanied by a resource library that shares resources for regulators from commissions across the U.S., nonprofits, and media that expand on the themes and strategies introduced in our report.

Community Engagement and Just Transition

REPORT Electricity

Ensuring an Inclusive Clean Energy Transition
May 25, 2022
In this actionable framework for state and federal policymakers, RMI explores how to design and implement comprehensive climate policy that ensures that the energy transition uplifts — rather than abandons — coal workers and communities and those disproportionately bearing the brunt of health impacts from coal.
RESOURCE

Comments of RMI and WRA in CO PUC Equity Pre-Rulemaking
April 24, 2026
These comments, filed in the Colorado PUC’s proceeding implementing SB 21-272, provide resources and insights informed by RMI’s national level experience working in energy equity and community stakeholder facilitation that can be broadly used by regulators seeking to enhance equity in their work.

Data Transparency and Analytics Tools

TOOL

GridUp
April 24, 2026
GridUp forecasts when and where energy and power demand will materialize from vehicle electrification. The tool is uniquely detailed and flexible, allowing users to gain greater insight into how driving behavior will create and shape charging demand.
TOOL Electricity

Utility Transition Hub
September 9, 2024
The Utility Transition Hub provides data relevant to their process in the energy transition, including the amount of resources they have by type, emissions levels, operations, finances, customers & community, Policies & Regulations, Comparisons, and Climate Alignment.

For questions or inquiries, please contact Rachel Gold (rgold@rmi.org), Cara Goldenberg (cgoldenberg@rmi.org), or Joseph Daniel (jdaniel@rmi.org).

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