e-Lab: Electricity Innovation Lab

Envisioning the Rural Electric System of the Future

In September 2018, experts from across the electricity industry gathered at RMI’s e–Lab Summit to discuss the most important emerging trends and opportunities. This blog outlines takeaways from the Transforming Rural Electric Supply group. The rural electric system—like the rest of the US electric system—was designed to capture economies…

Empowering Utilities to Participate in the Clean-Energy Transition – Part 2

This is the second blog in a three-part series. The first blog, Renewable Heating in Juneau, Alaska, is available here. One of the central challenges in transitioning to a more distributed and decarbonized energy grid is supporting utilities to actively engage and lead by example and innovation, rather than…

Empowering Utilities to Participate in the Clean-Energy Transition – Part 1

This is the first blog in a three-part series. One of the central challenges in effectively managing the transition of the energy grid toward a more distributed and decarbonized orientation is ensuring that utilities actively engage and lead by example and innovation, rather than remain on the sidelines or resist…

How to Plan for a More Distributed Grid, Part Three

This is the third blog in a three-part series. The first and second blogs are available here and here. One of the main themes at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Institute Electricity Innovation Lab (e–Lab) Accelerator event, held in Sundance, Utah, in May, was distributed grid infrastructure—the use of…

How to Plan for a More-Distributed Grid, Part 2

This is the second blog in a three-part series. The first blog is available here. One of the main themes at the 2018 Rocky Mountain Institute Electricity Innovation Lab (e–Lab) Accelerator event, held in Sundance, Utah, in May, was distributed grid infrastructure—the use of least-cost portfolios of distributed energy…