Summer 2024
IMPACT REPORT
RMI’s vision of a clean energy future commits us to THINK bigger, DO boldly, and SCALE globally.
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IMPACT SPOTLIGHT
Turning Down the Heat in Really Cool Ways
After a year of deadly and costly high temperatures, July 2024 brought on the hottest days humans have ever measured. The need for efficient cooling has never been more critical. RMI is working on innovative and sustainable cooling solutions that reduce energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance public health and safety by integrating technological advancements, policy support, and public awareness.
Really Cool Air Conditioning
With the world warming at an unprecedented rate, the demand for cooling is expected to put an additional 5.6 billion air conditioners into homes by 2050. Cooling those homes with appliances made with today's efficiency standards would contribute over 100 gigatons of CO2-equivalent emissions — more than twice the current annual greenhouse gas emissions.
RMI, India’s Department of Science and Technology, and Mission Innovation launched the Global Cooling Prize in 2018 to help solve this problem. In 2021, two winning prototypes surpassed the prize criteria of reducing lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions by five times compared to conventional units. They also delivered efficient dehumidification — a key aspect for comfort and health. Yet, despite their incredible benefits, the models are not commercially available.
In May 2022, RMI, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and CEPT University, with support from the Clean Cooling Collective (CCC), embarked on an initiative to develop performance metrics and associated test methods to pave the way for bringing next-generation AC units to the marketplace. CCC, RMI, and partners also formed a coalition called the Global Cooling Efficiency Accelerator and kicked off field testing of room AC units in Lodha Group's Palava City — India's flagship net-zero city. Insights from the collected performance data will be released this year to help shape future policies and standards as well as break down barriers to making super-efficient AC technology accessible and affordable.
Despite the promise of these technologies, we cannot air condition our way out of this problem. We need other alternatives that are more equitable, effective, and energy efficient.
Really Cool Roofs
In many of the world’s hottest countries, most people live without air conditioning and the ability to escape life-threatening heat. Many heat-related deaths occur in informal or self-built settlements, home to over one billion people worldwide.
At RMI and our climate tech innovation accelerator, Third Derivative, we’re particularly excited about a class of advanced materials that provide a passive daytime radiative cooling (PDRC) effect. A sheet metal or asbestos roof, typical of many informal settlements, can heat up to 88°C (190°F) in direct sunlight when ambient air temperatures are around 38°C (100°F). A PDRC solution applied to the roof could reduce its surface temperature to at or below ambient temperatures — a potential 30°C–50°C (54°F–90°F) difference. Incredibly, this could translate to indoor temperatures 16 to 20 percent cooler on a hot day. (This great explainer video explains how it works »)
In areas most impacted by extreme heat, where electricity is often scarce, and where many families cannot afford air conditioning, PDRCs hold great promise. If scaled across informal settlements and low-income housing in India alone, they could save 317,000 lives and over 68 million tons of CO2 equivalent in cooling-related emissions between now and 2030 — and far more when scaled globally.
RMI and Third Derivative are working to get PDRC solutions to market and scale. This includes testing leading products in real-world conditions and brokering partnerships between PDRC developers and leading paint manufacturers capable of producing needed quantities. We are also exploring a coalition of governments, corporations, and philanthropists that could make an advanced commitment to purchase a specific volume of PDRC products at a certain price to underpin the market at its outset.
Making PDRC roofs the easy choice will be a complex, multi-stakeholder exercise that needs careful, robust planning. It will also take real leadership — from governments in particular. But the potential climate and health impacts more than justify the effort.
SUPPORTER SPOTLIGHT
“I’ve made provisions for RMI in my will and know I can rely on its talented staff and forward-thinking leaders to use that support wisely to carry on my vision.”
— AMORY LOVINS, RMI CO-FOUNDER, CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, AND DONOR
A heartfelt thank you to our Legacy Society donors like Amory Lovins whose charitable estate planning allows RMI to seize tomorrow’s opportunities.
You can be a catalyst for change like Amory by creating a lasting legacy to achieve our clean energy future. Join our society of forward-thinking donors who support RMI through their wills, trusts, or other planned gifts. Your generosity will be a lasting investment in our critical work beyond your lifetime.
Contact Margaret Salamon at plannedgiving@rmi.org or +1 303-567-8716 to learn more about planned giving or to let us know if you have already included RMI in your estate plans.
OUR FUTURE NEEDS YOU.
Call it a gift.
We call it the momentum behind our zero-carbon future.
RMI's impact is directly tied to generous donations from people like you. As a nonprofit, we generate 90 percent of our funding from philanthropy. Please consider a recurring gift, which provides sustained support we can rely on to accelerate the energy transition.
THINK
Plugging into Lower-Income Transportation Needs
Despite unprecedented US federal funding for EV charging infrastructure, benefits are concentrated in areas with high EV ownership. In major US cities, 40 percent of people live in multifamily housing, where implementing charging is complex. RMI engaged with residents in Portland, Atlanta, and Phoenix to better understand their transportation needs. The resulting report offers scalable solutions and recommendations for policymakers, utilities, and stakeholders to prioritize equity in transportation electrification and charging infrastructure development.
Charting the Course for Zero-Emissions Shipping
As the maritime sector moves toward low- and zero-emissions fuels, significant fuel procurement and distribution changes are expected. In April, at Singapore Maritime Week, the Global Maritime Forum and RMI launched the Oceans of Opportunity report, highlighting ways for ports to become first movers in supplying ships with green methanol and ammonia fuels, crucial to meeting the International Maritime Organization’s 2030 zero-emissions fuel targets.
Seeding the Winds of Change
RMI, in partnership with the Southeast Asia Clean Energy Facility, with funding from the United States Trade and Development Agency and Tara Climate Foundation, produced a study showing how offshore wind could enhance energy security, reduce costs, and lower emissions across Southeast Asia. The report identifies three high-potential offshore wind development zones in the Philippines that could lead the race to develop the sector in the region.
Sparking a Cleantech Revolution
In June, Aaron Brickman, senior principal and expert in economic development, attended the SelectUSA Investment Summit in Washington, D.C., an event he founded over a decade ago. The summit aims to attract foreign direct investment into the United States, focusing on cleantech manufacturing. While there, Aaron discussed these efforts with the Financial Times’ Amanda Chu, who highlighted bipartisan support for clean energy investment in her Energy Source newsletter. Aaron’s insights underscore RMI's message: the clean energy transition offers significant economic benefits for everyone, especially when community leaders leverage the Inflation Reduction Act.
Unlocking Capital for a Greener Future
RMI’s Climate Finance program, backed by CIFF, is accelerating transition finance in the financial sector. Through collaboration with global financial institutions, RMI developed a groundbreaking Transition Finance Resource Hub, unveiled at London Climate Action Week. This Hub, featuring practical guides, videos, case studies, and other resources, aims to provide information to unlock capital for decarbonizing high-emitting companies and sectors. It’s set to become the go-to resource, driving significant progress in the financial sector.
Related: How to Design Transition Finance Approaches, How to Develop Internal Capacity to Enable Transition Finance, Transition Finance Case Studies: Scrap Steel
DO
Building a Trusted Voluntary Carbon Market
Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) provide a way for private parties to buy, sell, and invest in carbon credits tied to avoided, reduced, or removed greenhouse gas emissions. An effective VCM can finance vital climate action, such as scaling decarbonization technologies, protecting ecosystems, and enabling a just transition for local communities. Unfortunately, the VCM data landscape is complex and opaque — making it difficult to confidently comparison-shop for credits that will make a real impact. Enter RMI and Climate Collective’s new Buyer’s Guide to Carbon Credit Data Quality, which identifies key challenges in data quality, such as inconsistencies and lack of standardization, and shows buyers how to assess and select high-quality carbon credits. Alongside efforts by leading governing institutions, like the Voluntary Carbon Market Integrity Initiative and others, this guide allows buyers to use data to make carbon credit purchases that align with their sustainability goals.
Revealing the Hidden Harm of Gas Flaring
Gas flaring, or burning excess natural gas during oil extraction, releases pollutants that harm nearby communities, particularly marginalized ones. RMI’s Flaring Environmental Justice Risk Map identifies these at-risk areas and highlights the health impacts of flaring, such as respiratory issues and preterm births. The map aims to guide decision makers in protecting vulnerable populations and steer investors away from high-impact flaring operations. This tool is crucial for promoting healthier and more equitable communities by mitigating the adverse effects of gas flaring. Future updates to the map may enhance its utility in addressing global environmental justice risks by including flaring at refineries and transport facilities as well as international data. Watch our webinar about this topic »
Mobilizing Millions for Climate Impact
RMI's Climate Finance Access Network (CFAN) released its first impact report, showcasing three years of mobilizing millions of dollars for climate resilience in the Pacific and the recent expansion into the Caribbean. The report features easy-to-parse graphics, partner testimonials, advisor case studies, and project highlights. It illustrates CFAN's global impact, detailing its 20+ member initiatives, emissions avoided, and benefits to over 22,500 people.
From Sea to Shining Sea in Support of Clean Energy
From May to July, the America Is All In Tour, featuring Gina McCarthy, former White House national climate advisor and current managing co-chair of the America is All In coalition, showcased local climate action supported by federal investments. In Seattle, a roundtable included representatives from Microsoft and Seattle City Light. In Cleveland, a fireside chat with 80 community leaders announced an Ohio solar education campaign to boost solar installations and reduce energy costs. In Philadelphia, a roundtable included 45 stakeholders from DOE, the City of Philadelphia, the Commonwealth of PA, philanthropic partners, and community organizations to discuss the region's clean energy transition.
Driving Ground-Level Change with State Climate Plans
Almost every US state has created a Priority Climate Action Plan with Inflation Reduction Act funding, laying out measures to reduce climate pollution. With partners Evergreen Collaborative and Climate XChange, RMI assessed these plans to offer insight into the high-level numbers, help inform EPA decisions, and provide guidance on state climate planning. In addition, we quantified the climate pollution reduction from these plans to show the impact if these measures are implemented. Organizations are using our data to inform state planning efforts and build out additional tools and analysis, with one saying, “It has saved a lot of time and has already been very helpful to states and us,” and another saying, “It’s awesome. There is SO MUCH here.” The EPA recently announced funding to implement select measures, including awarding $430 million to Illinois and almost $400 million to Pennsylvania, two applications RMI helped support.
Anchoring India’s Green Hydrogen Future
Cochin Port — a major port on the sea-route from the Arabian Sea to the Indian Ocean — is poised to become a leading “Lighthouse Port” for green hydrogen in India, setting a benchmark for other ports in the country. With its strategic location near India's southern tip and existing expertise in handling liquid cargo like ammonia, the port is well-positioned to develop bunkering facilities for green hydrogen and its derivatives. RMI played a crucial role as a knowledge partner in this effort, including convening 70 key stakeholders from government agencies, green hydrogen developers, consumers, and technology providers to kick off planning for the green hydrogen pilot projects, which aim to achieve significant decarbonization goals by 2035.
SCALE
Powering Nigeria, Sustainably
Utility-enabled distributed energy resources (DERs) are crucial to increasing electricity access in Nigeria, where over 40 percent of people lack access. In early 2024, RMI collaborated with key stakeholders to create a roadmap to deploy over 20 GW of DERs. This initiative represents a $19 billion investment opportunity and could reduce Nigeria’s emissions by 33 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, an 8 percent emissions reduction compared to 2022.
The roadmap’s actionable recommendations for utilities, developers, government agencies, and development partners include preparing robust project pipelines, embracing competitive procurement for cost-effective delivery, fostering collaboration between utilities and developers, and establishing dedicated DER teams at utilities.
Newly commissioned utility-enabled DER projects are evidence that there’s a unique window of opportunity to reap the benefits of this approach.