Knowledge Center
We believe that sharing our expertise and collaborations in clean energy policy is how real, effective change happens.
From reports and policy briefs, to webinars and podcasts—RAP advisors have built an extensive collection of resources providing in-depth analysis and practical solutions to today’s energy challenges.
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(A summary version of this paper is also available.) An increasing number of national, state and local government leaders recognize that rapidly decarbonizing the electricity grid is necessary to slow the disruptive effects of a changing climate. At the… View Summary +
(A technical version of this paper, with four detailed appendices, is also available.) An increasing number of national, state and local government leaders recognize that rapidly decarbonizing the electricity grid is necessary to slow the disruptive effects of a… View Summary +
The rapid and parallel growth in both variable electricity production from wind and solar, and in large inherently flexible loads (such as electric vehicles and heat pumps) presents an opportunity to ensure that each transition is both reliable and affordable. View Summary +
A growing number of states have considered reforms to their net metering practices in recent years, a period of decreasing prices for distributed energy resources, rapid changes in technology and evolution of the electricity system. Depending on its… View Summary +
In a roundtable webinar discussion, a panel of experts representing varying perspectives — a vertically integrated utility, a restructured distribution utility and a community choice aggregator — discussed what demand- and supply-side resource portfolio procurement looks like for each of… View Summary +
Net metering with monthly netting — a simple billing mechanism for distributed energy resources (DERs), often primarily solar PV — has existed since the early 1980s. In recent years, there has been a wide-ranging national debate about the best methods… View Summary +
In an interactive webinar presentation, panelists discussed a “next-generation” approach to utility procurement and evolving best practices, based in part on recent work done by RAP and RMI. The webinar offered recommendations on how to design clear rules… View Summary +
Utility regulators, whether they be veterans or new to the job, are often eager to make a positive impact on the transformation of the electric sector by addressing such areas as distributed generation and storage, electric vehicles (EVs) and carbon… View Summary +
Perhaps the most basic of electricity sector rules, one that has operated for over a century, is that electricity must be generated at precisely the same time it’s consumed. For years, grid operators have determined load on a system and… View Summary +
The rapid growth in distributed energy resources (DERs) has delivered benefits for residential customers, businesses and utilities. This accelerating worldwide spread has also created a challenge that regulators recognize: how to determine the value of these resources for the grid,… View Summary +
In a poster presentation at the Solar Power International conference in Salt Lake City, Dr. Carl Linvill demonstrated how cities can pair solar generation with electrified end uses and highlighted case studies of successful deployment of these resources. View Summary +
In a webinar on Sept. 10, John Shenot and Dr. Carl Linvill looked more in depth at the types of value streams that combinations of distributed energy resources can create and discussed how best to compensate the owners of these… View Summary +
Much has been written about the value of solar photovoltaic generation, but less about the value of some of the other distributed energy resources — other forms of distributed generation, energy storage, electric vehicles, demand response, and energy efficiency —… View Summary +
Demand response can be an excellent flexible resource and can cost-effectively support a grid with high penetrations of variable renewable generation. Unfortunately, this potential has not yet been widely exploited, due to a number of obstacles at the wholesale and… View Summary +
In a webinar presentation moderated by David Farnsworth, Carl Linvill, David Littell, Jim Lazar, and Jessica Shipley discussed the importance of flexible resources to the power grid. They offered examples of flexibility from around the country and explored tools to optimize flexible… View Summary +