Office of the Chief Scientist - Rocky Mountain Institute

We aim to build tomorrow’s energy future through untrammeled ideation, incubation, and integration that apply deep and broad knowledge with a vision across boundaries.

What is OCS?

Led by Amory Lovins, Rocky Mountain Institute’s cofounder and chief scientist, the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS) sustains RMI’s global thought leadership across and between all four energy-using sectors—buildings, transportation, industry, and electricity. A leader in design and innovation, OCS advances the frontiers and ambitions of RMI’s initiatives.

Why it Matters

Amory Lovins shifted the energy paradigm with his 1976 Foreign Affairs article, “Energy Strategy: The Road Not Taken?,” sparking worldwide revolutions in efficiency and renewables. In the 40 years since, Amory has pushed forward the energy transition, serving as an energy advisor to major firms and governments in more than 65 countries, briefing dozens of heads of state, authoring 31 books and 600 papers, and delivering thousands of lectures. Today, Amory’s and OCS’s transdisciplinary insight and untrammeled creativity continue to inform and inspire the world’s progress toward a low-carbon economy and energy security.

India Mobility Transformation

Collaborating with the Government of India to design a rapid transition to clean, cost-effective mobility for all.

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Reinventing Fire: U.S.

A roadmap for running a 2.6-fold larger U.S. economy in 2050 without oil, coal, or nuclear energy; emitting 82%–86% less carbon; and costing $5 trillion less than business as usual. This rigorous framework guides our energy efforts.

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Reinventing Fire: China

In collaboration with China’s Energy Research Institute, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Energy Foundation China, Reinventing Fire: China helped shape the 13th Five Year Plan, showing how to raise energy productivity 7-fold and carbon productivity 12-fold while saving over $3 trillion.

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Factor 10 Engineering (10xE)

An exploratory effort that’s testing ways to scale, leverage, and spread RMI’s proven design techniques that let engineers, architects, and clients achieve radical energy efficiency at lower cost by designing buildings, factories, and vehicles as whole systems.

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