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Incisive commentary from RAP experts
RAP experts keep their finger on the pulse of the energy sector and provide timely analysis of topics impacting stakeholders TODAY.
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April 24, 2023
Time for a System Update: Financing our Buildings’ Future
- Cliff Majersik ,
- Caitlin Caplinger
Buildings should last decades or longer, but to do so they must be periodically modernized — and that’s challenging when financing options are limited. This means we are missing opportunities to implement new technologies that support efficiency, health and productivity… View Summary +
April 17, 2023
A Chance to Transform Weatherization Programs
- David Smedick ,
- Camille Kadoch
Across the country, state and local governments are awaiting a windfall investment from the federal government to modernize infrastructure and ensure energy security. Everything from housing to bridges, airports and the electric grid will receive an injection of funds to… View Summary +
April 12, 2023
Flex and the city: Cities need dynamic pricing for public charging
City dwellers without their own parking space, small business owners such as taxi drivers and a growing number of car-sharing users rely on the public charging network to access electric driving. The affordability of electric vehicles (EVs), compared to the… View Summary +
April 10, 2023
Opening the Door: How Officials Can Improve Access to Energy Decision-Making
- Chandra Farley ,
- David Farnsworth
In a representative democracy, all citizens have the right to access government services, to meaningfully contribute to government decisions and to share equitably in the benefits of government programs. The many decisions made in Washington, D.C., have important implications for… View Summary +
April 5, 2023
Tackling the Job of Building Modernization: A Toolkit for State Decision-Makers
- Camille Kadoch ,
- Donna Brutkoski ,
- Jessica Shipley
Energy efficiency and electrification are the dynamic duo of a modern building. Technology advances in both these areas mean that we have the ability to improve the comfort and health of a building’s residents, save them money, reduce air… View Summary +
March 21, 2023
How the energy crisis is boosting heat pumps in Europe
Heat pumps are widely seen as the most important technology when it comes to decarbonising heating. Organisations including the International Energy Agency and McKinsey see heat pumps providing most of our heating… View Summary +
March 17, 2023
Let’s make clean heating a reality for low-income households
The cost of heating leaves many European households feeling burnt. Three-quarters of our heat is still supplied by expensive fossil fuels, and heating homes is Europe’s biggest gas user, which creates a twin dilemma: How do we clean up heat,… View Summary +
March 15, 2023
Building for the future: How can cities prepare for transportation electrification?
- Julia Hildermeier ,
- Marion Pignel ,
- Thomas Lymes
For cities, the fast growth of electric vehicles (EVs) is a challenge and an opportunity. In the process of becoming cleaner and smarter, cities face a two-fold challenge: First, they are promoting a shift towards more sustainable modes of transport… View Summary +
February 27, 2023
To Serve Everyone, IRA’s Climate Grants Need Inclusive Participation
As expansive and even overwhelming as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) seems to be, it is important to remember that the IRA authorizes a number of different programs that will benefit states — programs, for example, that may… View Summary +
February 23, 2023
Staying the course: Keeping the key role of the energy savings obligation in focus as negotiations reach their endgame
As we move towards the endgame in the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) revision, what should negotiators be considering as they recraft the key energy saving provisions — the energy savings obligation? The right level of ambition … As part… View Summary +