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 +
Deployment of heat pumps is a key part of greenhouse gas reduction goals set out in the Inflation Reduction Act. In this paper, a collaboration between RAP and CLASP, the authors analyze impacts of the IRA on heat pump… View Summary +
In a webinar discussion, Mark LeBel, Steve Kihm, Richard Sedano and Damali Harding highlighted a RAP paper exploring the policy, legal and financial aspects of performance incentive mechanisms and re-examined recent practices underlying cost-of-service ratemaking and the utility business… View Summary +
States are increasingly confronting the reality that burning fossil fuels for heat creates cost burdens for their residents, particularly for low-income households and struggling small businesses, while harming health and the environment. Importing those fuels imposes a drain on the… View Summary +
For over 50 years, a wide variety of reforms has been tried to correct the flaws of traditional methods of utility regulation generally and rate-making specifically. One category of reforms implemented by many jurisdictions to remedy some of those flaws… View Summary +
The burning of fossil fuels for heat accounts for a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions and burdens many families and businesses with high energy costs. Meeting climate and equity goals requires that we find effective and affordable pathways to… View Summary +
In a presentation to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners’ staff subcommittee on rate design, Mark LeBel discussed smart rate design principles and pathways for distributed energy resources. … View Summary +
In a presentation for the U.S. Climate Alliance, Mark LeBel explored the promise of performance-based regulation as an alternative to traditional cost-of-service regulation for utilities. 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 a webinar presentation, Megan Anderson, Max Dupuy, Mark LeBel and moderator Richard Sedano discussed how planning, energy efficiency and electrification programs, and rate-making can pave the way to a smooth transition from fossil gas to other forms of energy… View Summary +
Demand charges have existed since nearly the beginning of the electric industry. Although utilities often favor them, economists have continually questioned whether these rates — applied to an individual customer’s maximum short-term usage in a billing period — are an… View Summary +
In a follow-up discussion to an earlier webinar, co-authors Jim Lazar and Paul Chernick and manual editor Mark LeBel took a more detailed, technical look at how to update cost allocation methods to ensure that costs are shared efficiently and fairly. View Summary +
As the market for electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States continues to grow, states are beginning to pay more attention to the issues that arise. Although no one state agency has clear responsibility for it, utility commissions are taking… View Summary +
This policy guide — part of the Roadmap for Electric Transportation legislative kit — provides legislators and their staff members an overview of electric vehicle issues and options. It begins by looking at the merits of EV legislation to… View Summary +